


Fake It til you Make It

by MooeyDooey



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friendly Bickering, Gay Chicken, Happy Ending, M/M, Secret Relationship, Sensual Tension, Some Spoilers, guest appearances by Linhardt and Edelgard and Byleth and Dorothea, longing for each other but they CANT because their DUTY to the EMPIRE, medium-burn romance, post-game Black Eagles route, semi-public displays of affection (and THEN some)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-10-20 21:41:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20682359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MooeyDooey/pseuds/MooeyDooey
Summary: “Emperor Edelgard and I have already crafted the rumor, and how we wish to spread that information. All you need to do is exactly what I tell you. Nothing more.”“Hubert, you’re being strangely evasive. What is my role in all of this?”The topic could not be danced around for any longer, so Hubert bluntly delivered his proposal.“The only information that would be valuable enough to be used against us, without damaging the reputation of the Emperor or her empire, is information regarding one of us. Or in this scenario, both of us. My plan is to distract the enemy with a falsified secret affair. I would be one of the conspirators in question, and you would be my… private partner.”- - - - - - - - - - - -Ferdinand and Hubert pretend to be secretly dating each other, in order to distract a dangerous group of rebellion spies hiding in Enbarr. But they’re both professionals. So there’s no chance of them catching real feelings for each other… right?





	1. A most Decent Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Ferdibert? Hubinand? Either way they’re in love and I’m here to prove it 
> 
> Apologies for any obvious mistakes! Didn’t have a Beta on this fic, but I tried my best to read it through a few times and clean up anything I could catch on my own! Hope you enjoy!!
> 
> Set in the Crimson Flower: Black Eagles route of the game. Mostly canon compliant, will contain some major plot spoilers.

Ferdinand von Aegir received many letters these days. 

During the war, his daily letters were limited to a handful of correspondents delivered on horseback. Most of the communications he sent to his fellow commanders was done by word of mouth. Now that the battle was more than 3 years behind them, the size of those stacks of letters had increased nearly 10-fold.

There was still much to be done if they truly wanted to unite Fódlan. 6 years of war was going to take at least 30 years of dedicated service to fully repair, not to mention the dismantling of the nobility and creating a new system of order. 

There were towns that had to be rebuilt, titles to appoint to the worthy and take from the crooked, wealth to re-distribute, and after-shocks of rebellion that had to be halted before they could grow into a threat. All of these required constant communication between the lords spread out across the country, which required many, many letters. 

That was why anytime Ferdinand received a letter by Hubert, it was delivered to him personally. 

The messenger was always someone different and unexpected. Sometimes it was a guard, sometimes it was a servant. One time a baker had passed him an envelope when he had gone into town to pick up some almond cake on a whim. 

No matter who delivered the letter, Ferdinand would know who it was from immediately. It was always in a plain white envelope, sealed with black wax (no stamp used), and so thick you couldn’t read through the paper for a hint of what was written inside, even if you held it up in front of the sun. 

They were never signed, but they were always sent by the same man. 

Only one man in the world cared about secrecy enough to use a ring of underground agents and spy-proof card stock to send a message as simple as: ‘_ If you are available this evening, meet me in my office. There are several reports I need you to review and sign. Please inform this messenger if you will be attending _.’ 

Ferdinand rolled his eyes lightly to himself, but it was a typical message from Hubert. He often summoned Ferdinand for meetings via letter, then insisted Ferdinand tear up and properly dispose of each note no matter how simple its contents were. (“I recommend burning them,” were Hubert’s exact words. “It’s the most effective way of ensuring a letter can’t be reconstructed later.”) 

The messenger this time was a young kitchen girl, who had handed off to envelope to him while the two passed each other in the castle’s main courtyard. 

“You may tell him I said ‘Yes.’. I’ll be finished with my duties by sundown, I shall arrive then,” Ferdinand said to her, with a kind smile, as he gently tore up the letter. “Thank you,” he added after. He always made a point of showing his gratitude to everyone, no matter their age or status. 

The girl gave him a quick curtsy before she ran back off into the crowd, off to deliver his reply. 

_ ‘Whatever could he need me to sign, that he can’t have sent to my study? I don’t remember speaking with him about any recent projects that needed my approval,’ _ he thought to himself. 

Despite his slight confusion, he tried not to read too far into it. 

Hubert had an endless chasm of secrets he never brought up in meetings. While it wasn’t like him to keep Ferdinand uninformed of what he planned to have him sign, it wasn’t unheard of. 

Thus, with his usual energy, Ferdinand went off about his day as per usual. Once his duties were done he visited Hubert’s private study.

* * *

Hubert and Ferdinand’s quarters were both on the same floor of the castle. They were located on almost opposite ends of the eastern and western wings. This was done deliberately, with the security of the Emperor in mind. 

Should anyone try to infiltrate either of their rooms from the inside, they would have to sneak past or incapacitate two long hallways of guards before getting to either the prime minister or the minister of the imperial household. Should anyone attack from the outside, they would be the first line of defense, able to sound an alarm through the rest of the castle. 

Their placement within the castle made the most strategic sense, so Ferdinand did not oppose it. It did, however, make for one hell of a walk. Especially since the two always met later in the evening, when a journey across the expansive hallways of the castle was the last thing he desired. 

Still, Ferdinand’s urge to abandon his formal jacket and dress into something more comfortable far outweighed his desire to not travel an extra few minutes on foot, so he stopped in his personal quarters before navigating through the dark hallways towards his colleague's study. 

Once he finally arrived, he knocked on the door. 

“Hubert? It’s me. Ferdinand von Aegir! I’m coming in,” he announced, before he opened the door. 

Before him sat a familiar empty room, decorated in a fairly proper and semi-welcoming manner. The windows had deep red curtains, that were more closed more often than not. There was both a writing desk, and a small table set up at the side of the room with two chairs. 

Hubert being absent from this room was something else that didn’t shock Ferdinand anymore. He knew that this room was commonly referred to as Hubert’s study, but it was mostly just for show. Hubert only took meetings here when the topic of conversation wasn’t important enough to need to hide away from the world. 

Hubert worked in the shadows. So, naturally, his office was hidden in the shadows as well. 

Ferdinand closed the door behind himself, and crossed to the side of the room. He fumbled around for a moment, trying by dim candlelight to find the correct spot on the wall to press, but eventually found the loose stone he had been searching for. 

With a soft pop, one of the bookshelves shifted. Ferdinand curled his fingers around the wood on the side of the shelves, swinging it open like a door to reveal a hole in the wall. The entrance immediately turned into stairs, leading downwards. 

Ferdinand entered the stairs, making sure to close the bookcase behind himself. 

The stairs led down in a spiral, presumably by one floor. Ferdinand had a sneaking suspicion that there was some trick to the stairs, making it seem like the study was only a floor down when it was really located several floors up, or even miles away from the castle. When Ferdinand questioned Hubert about it he had been infuriatingly cryptic, only saying _ ‘Aah. Perhaps you are onto something. Or it may be a perfectly ordinary staircase. Who’s to say?’ _

Whether it was one floor or a hundred, the trip downwards was short. It didn’t take long until Ferdinand entered into another study, appropriately lit this time. 

This study was far more cluttered than the first, and its contents far more valuable. This was were Hubert took most of his meetings, drank the most of his coffee, and where he summoned Ferdinand on a semi-regular basis. There were no windows here. Only a roaring fireplace that Ferdinand had never seen extinguished, and a set of two chairs far more comfortable than the ones Hubert had in his false study. 

Hubert was already seated in one of them, reading through a stack of papers in his hands. He didn’t look up when Ferdinand entered through the doorway, but raised one of his hands slightly in acknowledgement. “Good evening,” he said. 

“Good evening, Hubert,” Ferdinand replied, snuffing out his candle, and leaving it on a side table by the door. As per usual when Ferdinand arrived here, there was already a platter set out on the table in front of Hubert, with two untouched cups of tea. No matter when Ferdinand arrived, the tea was always the perfect temperature when he started drinking it. The gesture made Ferdinand a bit less cross about always having to travel to Hubert’s side of the castle any time he wanted to have a meeting. 

Ferdinand took a seat opposite to Hubert, taking his cup of tea right away and drinking from it. He never needed to add sugar or milk to it, Hubert always prepared that for him to Ferdinand's tastes before he arrived, based on which type of tea was being served. 

“You gave too much information to my messenger. Again,” Hubert said, after letting Ferdinand enjoy his drink in silence for a moment. 

“... what? I’ve done exactly what you’ve asked me to. I gave her a short answer, just yes,” said Ferdinand, his features scrunching up slightly with mild indignation. 

“No. You told her yes, and that you would be arriving after finishing your duties. After sundown,” Hubert replied. He folded up the paper in his hands, leaning aside to he could toss it into the fireplace. “That’s two specific pieces of information. Had your message been intercepted by someone, they’d know to start tracking your movements at sundown.”

“Yes, because this building is crawling with informants who are determined to find out how many papers I’m signing,” Ferdinand said dryly. 

“Any piece of information can be used as a dagger, in the right hands,” Hubert said. “Even what you perceive to be mundane documents. I’ll also have you know that the reason I summoned you here tonight wasn’t due to any paperwork. What I wrote was a seemingly innocent excuse to summon you for a private meeting, I have much more important matters to discuss with you.”

Ferdinand’s casual sarcasm faded away, replaced by a very real concern. 

“Oh. I see. Something that couldn’t be written down,” Ferdinand said, sitting up more in his seat. “My apologies, I hadn’t realized something had developed. Is this about the uprisings in Kleiman? You have my full attention.” 

“No. Matters in Kleiman remain the same as they have since our last meeting. This is about matters in Enbarr,” Hubert said. 

The words made Ferdinand’s stomach clench. A danger within their own city was not only a personal matter, but a direct threat to the health of their Emperor. 

“Here? In the city?” 

“That is what I just said. Yes,” Hubert said. Hubert no longer cut Ferdinand down with insults like he used to, but he couldn’t help the occasional light mockery when the other man was painfully redundant. 

“There has always been enemies hiding in the shadows here. Up until now I’ve managed to keep them powerless, but they’ve been receiving aid from outside the capital, and are growing in number. We’ll have to completely eradicate the organization soon, if we don’t want to risk them starting to take action.” 

“That’s terrible... but wait. This isn’t a battalion of soldiers. At least, not yet. They’re spies, right?” he questioned. When he received a nod from Hubert, he continued. 

“Then why are you discussing these matters with me? You always take care of these missions on your own. What could I possibly have to do with any of this?” 

“How very astute of you. You are correct. Normally, I would not require your aid. I have already accessed the situation on my own, and have calculated several solutions,” Hubert explained. He took the second cup of tea now, black, no sugar, and raised it to his lips. 

“After discussing matters with Emperor Edelgard, we concluded that the best course of action is something that I can not achieve on my own. It would require a co-conspirator, a role that would be best suited to someone in your position.” 

This was something Ferdinand had never encountered with Hubert before. The two of them had worked on plenty of projects together, but what Hubert did behind the scenes were matters that Ferdinand was never involved in. He only ever saw the aftermath of what Hubert accomplished, never the planning and execution of those deeds. 

“What would you have me do?” Ferdinand asked, too absorbed now to drink from his cup of tea. 

Hubert gave an uncharacteristic pause, before he continued his explanation. 

“This spy network is currently trying to gather all the information they can. I assume they are trying to find some sort of weakness. In anything from the foundation of the castle’s defenses, to valuable information about the Emperor. While my people track down their base of operations, it would be wise to set up a diversion. It is my intention to fabricate a rumor, something we could use to distract the organization. To make them feel like they have the upper hand, while we remain in control,” said Hubert. 

“And… you want me to come up with a rumor?” 

“_ Absolutely _ not. I-... I’m getting to it. Patience,” Hubert said, reaching up to rub at the bridge of his nose with his fingertips, willing away the mental image of what a “juicy rumor” started by Ferdinand would sound like.

Probably something like: ‘_ The von Wagner estate has been mistreating their horses _ ’, or ‘ _ Lord Sommer has been sneaking out of his home at night to attend forbidden tea parties _’. 

“Emperor Edelgard and I have already crafted the rumor, and how we wish to spread that information. All you need to do is exactly what I tell you. Nothing more.” 

“Hubert, you’re being strangely evasive. What is my role in all of this?” 

The topic could not be danced around for any longer, so Hubert bluntly delivered his proposal. 

“The only information that would be valuable enough to be used against us, without damaging the reputation of the Emperor or her empire, is information regarding one of us. Or in this scenario, both of us. My plan is to distract the enemy with a falsified secret affair. I would be one of the conspirators in question, and you would be my… private partner.” 

Ferdinand, for once in his life, was speechless. He was aware that his mouth was hanging open slightly, but could not bring himself to shut it. 

He was entirely sure he hadn’t heard Hubert correctly. He paused, hoping that the next words out of Hubert’s mouth was something that would hint to what Hubert actually meant, instead of what Ferdinand had misinterpreted. 

“... It would not require any extensive physical intimacy. In this fiction, the two of us would be having a discreet romantic affair that we are trying to keep from the knowledge of everyone else, including the Emperor. It would require some small changes to our behavior, and some small displays of intimacy dropped strategically where we may be observed by a spy, but certainly nothing crass.” 

“It may put one or both of us in the line of danger, if they decide that kidnapping us to get to the other is the best course of action. But in either scenario, their attention will still be directed away from Emperor Edelgard. Hence, why this is the best strategy,” Hubert explained. 

Though his voice was calm and unwavering, he refused to look anywhere in Ferdinand’s direction. 

Still, Ferdinand couldn’t speak up. This seemed to get on Hubert’s nerves, as he continued to visibly tense the longer Ferdinand’s silence went on. 

“You don’t have to accept tonight, but I would need an answer by tomorrow evening. We do have to start with some haste. If you are not up for the position, I’ll have to find another suitable candidate,” Hubert said. 

“Why me?” Ferdinand finally got out, voice strained by a tension he couldn’t quite explain. 

“As I said, you’re the most appropriate choice,” Hubert replied. “It’s not a personal decision, it’s strictly logical. For one, you are one of the only allies of the empire than can be trusted with this security level of information. Additionally, a homosexual relationship is a much more damning secret than a heterosexual affair. It may not be fair, but such is the state of current affairs in most parts of Fódlan...” 

“Finally, it is no secret that I keep very few personal acquaintances, and do not intermingle socially with those I don’t have in my inner circle. Staging a romance with a stranger would not be feasible. You are the one person I interact with the most besides the Emperor. It would not be out of the realm of possibility for two men in our position to develop a private relationship.” 

Hubert spoke with a calculated dryness about the whole operation, as if he were only suggesting that the two of them ride together in the same carriage. Despite this, Ferdinand still felt the tips of his ears heating up, thinking about the implications of the arrangement. 

“I… I see your point. However-... physical danger aside, wouldn’t that be damning to our careers, if the rumor was spread outside of the spy network?” Ferdinand asked. 

It was not that he particularly cared about what others thought of him. If others wanted to judge him for his romantic interests, whether that information was factual or not, it wouldn’t personally bother him. But ever since he had been sworn in as the prime minister, his own accomplishments and reputation became attached to the empire. Any fault in his social standing would negatively affect the empire, and consequently, damage the Emperor’s reputation as well. 

But Hubert had already thought of that. Ten steps ahead as always. 

“As soon as we infiltrate and break up their network, we’ll reveal the truth of the matter to anyone else who may have picked up on our act. If we are publicly accused, we’ll have all the evidence we need to disprove it to the masses,” said Hubert. 

Ferdinand was finding less and less excuses to convince himself that this was a terrible idea. Hubert had clearly been thinking about the implications of this plan for days, something Ferdinand was starting to envy him for. He wished he had more time to think it over, but knew that not even a week of internal debate would get him any closer to a comfortable answer. 

“... and, these interactions. As you say. … what would I have to…” 

“You’d only need to follow my lead,” Hubert said. “It would not be much. Only a subtle brushing of fingers, or whispered words. I would initiate all of this, as I know when the right people are watching. You’d simply need to consent to these small tokens of affection, to play along without being obvious about it.” 

More of Ferdinand’s face deepened in color. Somehow, the thought of those small moments of intimacy, with Hubert of all people, was more humiliating than grand gestures of romance. 

“And Emperor Edelgard knows about all of this?” Ferdinand croaked out. 

“She was the one who nominated you for the position. I had originally not considered that possibility, but she convinced me of your usefulness in our current predicament,” Hubert replied. 

That comment stung Ferdinand’s steadily deflating pride. ‘_ Great. He didn’t even have me in mind. This must make him just as uncomfortable as I am. Maybe more so _,’ he thought to himself. 

“... If you are unwilling to take this position, I understand. As long as you don’t speak of this to anyone, I’m sure the Emperor and I can find anot-”

“I never said I’m unwilling,” Ferdinand cut in. “I’ll do it.” 

It was Hubert’s turn to look slightly surprised, raising his eyebrows ever so slightly. 

“You will? You seemed uncertain, only moments ago.” 

“Well, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll do it,” Ferdinand said, with new stubborn determination. 

Maybe it was the fact that Hubert didn’t believe him capable of it. Maybe it was a desire to do whatever it took to protect his Emperor. Either way, Ferdinand had come to a decision. And once Ferdinand set his mind on something, it was very difficult to steer him off of that path. 

“... very well,” Hubert replied. “I’ll inform the Emperor about your cooperation.”

“I can’t inform her myself?” Ferdinand asked, still feeling rather defensive of his abilities, and somewhat confrontational. 

“That would not be a good idea. The less we speak about this matter between each other, the better. After I deliver news of your involvement to Emperor Edelgard, she and I will not speak of it again, until after we take down the network of spies. If you have any concerns you may discuss them with me. The two of us should be able to conduct this on our own, without her involvement.” 

Once again, Hubert was painfully right. Ferdinand sighed, rubbing at his eyes. 

“Fine. But I expect you to keep me updated on your progress,” he said. 

“Of course. We’ll have plenty of time to discuss it in the coming weeks,” said Hubert. “As we’ll be seeing one another in private on a more regular basis.” 

Again, Hubert said this with no amount of passion or excitement, but the very idea made Ferdinand’s stomach flip around inside him. Of course, any time they met they wouldn’t be doing anything intimate. They’d sit around, drinking tea and coffee and discussing professional affairs. But deep down Ferdinand would still know that the reason for their meetings would be set up to look like they were an indecent affair, and that thought would plague his every waking thought. 

With Hubert. Of all people. 

Someone Ferdinand admired, sure. Someone he respected. Someone he trusted. 

But Hubert? And himself? Romantically involved? How was that believable? 

Ferdinand had never seen Hubert show affection to anything, or anyone. Not even to the Emperor, the one person he undeniably loved more than any being in existence. He was quiet and softer around Bernadette, occasionally let his guard down around their other friends, but had not once shown any sign of public affection. 

But Ferdinand’s involvement would be an asset to the empire. It would help protect the Emperor he had also sworn his devotion and loyalty to. 

It would be somewhat uncomfortable, but Ferdinand was willing to add it to his list of duties. 

Just a few swipes of a gloved hand, maybe some physical closeness. How difficult could that be? 

* * *

Ferdinand was struggling with this assignment much more than he anticipated. 

For a few days after their meeting, after Ferdinand agreed to involve himself in Hubert’s affairs, nothing happened. 

Ferdinand desperately searched for any change in Hubert’s behavior. Sudden out of character longing glances, doe eyes, typical characteristics of someone who was secretly in love with someone else. But Hubert barely glanced in his direction. If their eyes locked, it would only be for a moment before Hubert turned to speak to someone else, face as cold and blank as ever. 

It was maddening. Ferdinand was constantly on edge, waiting in anticipation for the first secret romantic act he was expected to play into. 

He played out hypothetical scenarios in his head, trying to pre-plan how he would convincingly react in each situation. 

If Hubert reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of his face, where should Ferdinand look? Into Hubert’s eyes? Should he turn his head bashfully to the side? Flutter his eyelashes? 

What if Hubert got down on one knee, and recited poetry to him? Would he put a hand to his chest to calm his beating heart? What sort of poetry would Hubert even recite? 

Oh gods, what if Hubert kissed him?? 

Any time Ferdinand tried to imagine these situations, Hubert never looked like himself in Ferdinand’s imagination. Because Ferdinand couldn’t, for the life of him, imagine how Hubert would look doing any of that. It was so unlike the man Ferdinand had gotten to know over the years. It seemed like a false caricature every time, like some slightly convincing Hubert impersonator. 

Hubert would never do things like that. Certainly not with Ferdinand. 

Then one day, just when Ferdinand was starting to calm down, it happened. 

The two of them were walking together outside, through one of the gardens. 

It wasn’t a particularly romantic trip outside. Ferdinand had traveled with Hubert to show him some damage to one of the inner walls of the castle’s defenses, and the garden just so happened to be the most direct path to that spot on the wall. It was strictly for business, to show Hubert the extent of the damage, and to discuss how many men would be needed to fix it in a timely manner. 

As they walked, side by side, Ferdinand felt something brush lightly against the outside of his hand. 

The touch was so light, so soft, he was momentarily convinced it was some sort of bug. He swatted his hand lightly to dissuade the pest from landing, not pausing from the topic of conversation he was currently discussing. 

Then the touch happened again. Still the lightest brush, but over the palm of his hand this time, up to the heel of his hand. Something that was, unmistakably, four gloved fingers. 

Ferdinand nearly jumped out of his skin, and physically jumped off to the side of the walking path they were on. 

He stared, wide eyed, up at Hubert’s face. The taller man was frowning deeply, clearly annoyed by Ferdinand’s action. 

Hubert gave him a moment to recover, before stepping in closer. He wasn’t touching Ferdinand, but his looming presence was suddenly suffocating. 

“I thought you said you wouldn’t mind,” Hubert said, in a hushed tone. 

“I-... I don’t. But…” Ferdinand stammered, trying desperately to calm himself. “... Now?? There’s no one else-” 

Hubert leaned in closer, lowering his volume even more. 

“We’re being followed,” Hubert stated. “_ Don’t _ look around,” he cut in, with a slightly harsher tone, just as Ferdinand was about to turn his head. 

Apparently, Hubert had decided in that moment that their act had reached an appropriately suggestive conclusion. He moved away from Ferdinand, and continued to walk down the path, leaving his partner behind. 

Ferdinand blinked for a moment, regained his composure, then sped up so he could catch back up to Hubert. 

They didn’t discuss the moment again. 

But those events started to happen with more frequency, after that first seal had been broken. 

And every time, it was damn near infuriating. 

No matter what Hubert did, Ferdinand never had the proper time to take any of it in. Hubert’s gestures were always painfully subtle. They started suddenly, and ended just as quickly as they had begun. 

A few times, Ferdinand had felt Hubert rest his hand on the small of Ferdinand’s back. Always in passing, but with just enough pressure to let Ferdinand know that the touch was absolutely intentional. 

A few other times, when they had been seated next to each other, Hubert had allowed their knees to press against each other, the outside of Hubert’s thigh burning against Ferdinand’s own, before Hubert excused himself from the table and left Ferdinand behind. 

Sometimes, Hubert didn’t even touch him. He just stood so close to Ferdinand that he would feel the heat of his body, close enough to smell the vague smoky scent of firewood and old parchment that clung to his clothes, while he gently whispered some sort of tedious empire business that did not need to be spoken of in hushed secret tones. 

Ferdinand never had any time to return the gesture. He could only pause, feeling the same familiar heat rise up in his face every time, before he was left alone again to calm himself through the aftermath. 

Ferdinand felt powerless, and it wasn’t a feeling he found himself enjoying. 

It wasn’t that those small gestures disgusted him, far from it, but the fact that was never an active participant in any of those moments made him feel useless. 

He didn’t feel like a conspirator, or a partner. He felt like a tool. Sure, he was being used for a greater purpose, but the feeling still left a sinking feeling in his gut, that clouded whatever other feelings bubbled up any time Hubert got close to him. 

After a few weeks of that nagging feeling, Ferdinand had had about enough. 

He had no plans to stop their involvement, or back out of the plan. But if he didn’t do something, anything to make himself feel like he was more than just a puppet for Hubert to play with, the feelings inside him would eat him from the inside out and steal even more of his precious sleeping hours away from him. 

* * *

The first thing Ferdinand did was start paying attention to the patterns in Hubert’s actions. 

As hard as it was to focus when Hubert was making physical contact with him, Ferdinand started to become more observant of their surroundings any time Hubert decided to act. He used the excuse that he’d turn his head away from Hubert a bit, out of genuine embarrassment, to scan his eyes around the room and see who was present. 

Sometimes they were alone, followed by a hidden presence. Those moments were unhelpful. 

But when they were in a full room of people, Ferdinand would start to notice certain familiar faces. Unnamed servants or lesser lords that always happened to be around, within viewing distance, who might notice a gesture as subtle as two people’s hands lingering on each other for just a moment too long. 

Once Ferdinand had his own list of potential suspects, the people he was sure Hubert was targeting with these staged displays, he started to feel more confident. 

His original intention was only to learn more about the workings of Hubert’s mind, to feel more filled in on his plans than lost in the dark, begging for information. He wanted to know when to expect a sudden caress, and when Hubert would keep his distance. 

He hadn’t originally intended to take any initiative on his own. 

The day he took action on his own had been a spontaneous impulse, a sudden surge of inspiration half fueled by a desire to prove himself, and half fueled by his inner frustrations. 

It happened one day, after the end of an ordinary public council meeting. One of those more routine round-table discussions about rebuilding cities and public education, things that did not need to be discussed behind closed doors. 

In these meetings, the two of them were always seated on opposite sides of Emperor Edelgard. Hubert to the right, and Ferdinand to the left. The rest of the seats at the table were filled by the commanders, ministers, and public figures who were invited to the meeting to cover that day’s topic. The sides of the room were often lined with a small handful of servants, responsible for bringing water to whomever required it, or held onto documents for their employers until instructed to bring them forth. 

Ferdinand could recognize a few people of interest. One minor lord, and at least two servants, all of whom were regularly present when Hubert decided to drop some subtle hint of affection towards Ferdinand. 

Just as the meeting ended, Ferdinand was struck with an idea. 

Once the meeting had ended, Hubert began to start reading over the notes on his desk. He clearly intended to stay in the room until most of the others had dispersed, perhaps planning on being the last to leave, to discourage others from staying behind and discussing political matters out of ear-shot from the guards stationed outside of the doors. 

Ferdinand was not able to stay behind. He had other matters to attend to. So he stood up from his seat, collecting his own papers, and moved around the Emperor’s now unoccupied seat to stand behind Hubert’s. 

He paused for a moment, needing an extra second to gain the courage to follow through with his plan, but managed to push through. 

Ferdinand bent down at the waist, until his head was directly next to Hubert’s. He tilted his head so he could speak directly next to his ear, reaching his free hand up at the same time. Hubert’s head was bent down, exposing the back of his neck, which was usually covered by the high collar of his cloak. So Ferdinand took advantage of this, placing his fingers delicately on the back of his neck, his thumb gently gliding over the base of Hubert’s hairline. 

“I’ll see you later this evening, yes? In my chambers, this time,” Ferdinand said. He noticed, with a small hint of satisfaction, that his action caused Hubert to tense up, and it took him a moment to respond. 

Without moving any part of his body, frozen in place, Hubert quietly responded. He simply said “Yes.” 

Ferdinand smiled, giving the back of Hubert’s neck a very gentle squeeze before removing his hand. 

Without another word Ferdinand stood back up straight, and walked out of the room triumphantly. 

He hadn’t noticed whether or not their suspected spy informants had been watching. But that was not part of the fictional narrative they were creating together. In their story, they stole sweet touches and kisses from one another, blissfully unaware that anyone was onto the secrets of their affair. Ferdinand could only hope that the right person had seen what he had done. All the better if they believed Ferdinand was unaware that his hidden caresses were noticed. 

And if he were truly being honest with himself, furthering their plot was only a secondary accomplishment in that exact moment. More than anything, Ferdinand wanted payback. For all the times Hubert had taken him off guard in the past weeks, all the times Hubert had stolen the breath out of Ferdinand’s lungs and caused him to feel dizzy and weak in the knees. 

Ferdinand hadn’t seen a visible reaction, but felt confident that his actions had at least caused Hubert a small moment of shock, if his delay in responding was anything to go off of. It was a small feat, but still enough to inflate Ferdinand’s ego for the duration of his activities that day. 

* * *

They met later in Ferdinand’s room, as previously agreed upon. 

These days they always met much later in the evening, past the point when official business was usually conducted. Again, all part of their plan, to make it seem like the two were sneaking around during more intimate hours of the night. 

Ferdinand had already out of his official uniform, dressed down to a loose shirt and slacks by the time Hubert knocked on the doors of his chamber. 

“Yes, come in!” Ferdinand called out from his seat in the room. 

Hubert, still dressed in his full uniform, cloak and all, entered into Ferdinand’s room. He waited until he had shut the door behind him, and locked it, before he spoke up, immediately addressing what had happened in the meeting that day. 

“I believe I said our plan would not require you to take any action,” Hubert said, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“You did. However, I have taken it upon myself to improve the conditions of our operation,” Ferdinand responded, sitting up straighter in his chair. 

“I was not under the assumption that our operation _ needed _ to be improved.” 

“Then you are less observant and less critical than I previously believed you to be,” said Ferdinand. 

Their tone with one another was dry, drifting closer and closer to one of their typical arguments. It was inevitable, for any pair of individuals working together, with such drastically different points of view and opinions on the proper way to accomplish tasks. 

For them, part of working together was occasionally disagreeing with one another. 

“So. You’ve begun to doubt my abilities?” Hubert questioned. 

“It’s not that I doubt you,” Ferdinand explained, with a frustrated sigh. “It’s-... the point of this is creating a reasonable scenario. But in the fiction you’ve created, I have become an insufferably passive recipient to your attention. There are some out there who may be content, may even revel in being the object of someone’s affections. But that is something I would never be able to accept.” 

He stood up and paced, unable to keep seated while speaking about such personal matters. 

“If I were truly in a romantic relationship, I would never be satisfied by simply accepting your affection, without returning any of it! Receiving those small gestures would bring me joy, but being unable to express my own romantic intentions feels… unfair. To both of us. Because making those expressions brings me and equal amount of happiness. And you deserve to feel equally as appreciated, and wanted, and desired,” Ferdinand explained. 

Hubert leaned back against one of the walls in Ferdinand’s room, watching as the man walked back and forth across the same 5 foot space. His arms remained crossed over his chest, but he had developed a smirk on his face (which did nothing to help Ferdinand’s frustrations). 

“Perhaps. But this is not a real romantic partnership. I require nothing in return for my actions,” he said. 

“But if it were real, you would!” Ferdinand exclaimed, losing control of his volume for a moment, only decreasing it when he got shushed by Hubert from across the room. 

“And the more realistic we make this charade, the more believable it will be to anyone watching us. If we continue down the path we’ve been going, they will eventually catch on that I am not truly in love with you. If you were truly mine, simply gazing at you from across a crowded room would not be enough. I’d want to send you flowers every day, make heartfelt declarations of your beauty and grace from the top of the highest towers of Enbarr, I’d-” 

Hubert cut him off with a low groan. 

“This is exactly why I didn’t wish to involve you in the first place. This is a mission that requires a certain level of discretion in order to succeed-” 

Now it was Ferdinand’s turn to cut Hubert off. 

“I see. And you only agreed to work with me because it was at the recommendation of Emperor Edelgard. You don’t trust my judgement on the matter,” he said. His brows were furrowed together, fists clenched at his sides. “Then perhaps it’s best for us to not continue this any further. I am, after all, an incompetent buffoon in your eyes.” 

“I never said that,” Hubert said. To his credit, the usual protective malice in his tone of voice drifted away, clearly not trying to aggravate or push Ferdinand’s buttons more than he already had. 

“I was… understandably, hesitant about assigning you to this mission. For the exact reasons you have stated above. Your usual demeanor is not subtle, nor is it discreet. You wear your emotions on your sleeve. The idea of your hiding away a secret lover from anyone, especially the Emperor, is almost laughable to anyone who knows how your mind works,” Hubert explained. He could sense that Ferdinand was about to cut in with another frustrated retort, so raised a hand to stop him before they could get into another argument. 

“_ However _. I must admit. Your performance thus far has been… more than adequate. Dare I say, bordering on impressive. I was initially afraid you were going to do as you said previously, make some sort of impulsive declarations, but you have refrained from doing anything of the sort. You’ve acted appropriately bashful without being obvious or drawing attention to yourself.” 

After that, Hubert smiled grimly once more. 

“You’ve even started to pick up on some of my targets. You must have noticed them during our council meeting. I was unaware that you had been paying that much attention to the circumstances on my actions. You clearly deserve more credit than I had previously given you,” Hubert said. 

Ferdinand felt his cheeks go pink, though he kept his fists clenched. “... You’re right! I do deserve more credit,” he declared, trying his hardest to stay defensively indignant. He didn’t want Hubert to know that he could be flattered so easily, though he was indeed _ quite _ flattered by that. 

“Does… this mean I am free to act as I see fit?” Ferdinand questioned after, ready with another convincing argument should Hubert disagree with him. 

“Within reason. Should your actions stray too far from the subtlety we require, I will be forced to relinquish that permission. But as current matters stand, I see no reason why you should continue to be an inactive participant,” said Hubert. 

Ferdinand’ shoulder dropped with relief, and his fists unclenched. 

While Hubert had a very different opinion than Ferdinand most of the time, this was the reason that Ferdinand had a strong level of respect for the other man. He was set in his ways, but he could be reasoned with. 

“Very well. I believe I’ve taken notice of most of your suspected spies, but if we are to continue as equals, I’ll require a full list of witnesses you wish to target,” Ferdinand said. 

Hubert nodded, and the two of them spent the next few hours having an in-depth discussion about their plans moving forward. They shared potential suspects that Hubert wanted to plant the seeds of their rumor into, confirmed locations where they knew spies were watching at all times, as well as some discussion on what counted as appropriately subtle behavior, and which acts of romantic interest would be deemed to risky for the public eye. 

By the time they were done, the two of them seemed to be in high spirits. They always were, when they were in sync with each other, on route towards a glorious accomplishment that could only be achieved with both of their efforts combined. 

This time, as Hubert stood, announcing that he had one more matter to attend to that night before retiring for the evening, Ferdinand stopped him. 

“Wait, Hubert,” he said, standing up from his own seat. “You’re going to walk through the courtyard on your way to this appointment, correct?” 

“That was my intention,” Hubert said, raising an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?” 

Ferdinand grinned then, crossing over to Hubert without another word. He reached up, and frantically shuffled his fingers through Hubert’s hair, tousling it up. He followed this by unbuttoning one of the buttons on Hubert’s collar, before upsetting the carefully laid fabric on his over-clothes. 

Ferdinand looked him up and down after, admiring his work. He laughed openly when he saw the confused expression on Hubert’s face, staying close as he offered an explanation. 

“You visited me in my bedchambers, late at night. Were we romantically involved, there’s no way I would let you leave my chambers as put-together as when you entered it,” he said. He threw in a wink for good measure, unsure if he was actually seeing a light pinkness cross over Hubert’s cheeks, or if that was only his imagination and the dim candlelight. 

“Right,” was all Hubert said, reaching up to fix his hair slightly, but not enough to un-do all of Ferdinand’s work. 

He quietly bade Ferdinand a good evening before he left, and the prime minister left his parlor, to change into his bedclothes and retire for the evening. 


	2. Are you playing your Love Games with me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two, bby! This is the part where things start getting SAUCY. 
> 
> Thank you so much everyone for your comments and kudos!!!!! Your words of encouragement have really helped me with writing inspiration, and has lifted my spirits! I hope you like this second chapter as much as the first!

After that discussion, Ferdinand’s experience with their private mission became much more bearable. 

He was no longer plagued by thoughts of doubt, or feelings of uncomfortable embarrassment. He still felt warm inside whenever Hubert took the initiative and displayed some sort of random act of affection, but the bubbling feeling inside him was more enjoyable than before. It felt more natural, not so alien and foreign. 

Ferdinand was also developing a certain confidence with his own actions. He thrived on finding all the small ways he could catch Hubert off guard by something, in a way that wouldn’t get him scolded for being too forward with his gestures. 

Over the next weeks, they settled into a pattern together. To Ferdinand’s delight, they even developed somewhat of an unspoken ‘competition’. There was a playfulness there that had not initially been present in their actions, but there was no denying now that Hubert tried to upstage Ferdinand as often as Ferdinand tried to throw Hubert off of his game. 

This challenge had opened up a side to Hubert that Ferdinand had never seen before. He could have never known that Hubert’s wrists were so sensitive, that he had a slight raspiness to his breath if you stood close enough to listen to it, how thin his arms and broad his shoulders were under the bulky fabric of his jacket and cloak. 

With all of those negative feelings gone, there was nothing left but to delight himself in the situation he was in. 

* * *

A short time after that, a grand banquet was held in Enbarr. 

Every year the city and many other cities in Fódlan held a massive celebration to commemorate the end of the recent war. Not a celebration of victory, but of peace. On the anniversary of the final battle the streets became flooded with parades and music. Many traveled into Enbarr, the host of one of the largest celebrations, to join the merriment. Of course this meant a grand feast hosted at the Emperor’s castle. 

The finest delicacies from every region of Fódlan was provided to any in attendance. There was always a mix of commoners and noble folk alike, all sharing the same space as they partook in the food their Emperor graciously offered them. 

The first part of the banquet was mostly formalities. The Emperor gave a rousing speech to the diners, and they all toasted to the unification of Fódlan, and wished for peace for many more years to come. Food was served, drinks were poured, and the back end of the hallway was kept cleared for anyone who had finished their meal and wished to dance to the music that played. 

Ferdinand and Hubert had both previously agreed that it would be best, for the sake of appearances, to leave the banquet together a bit earlier than either of them normally would. They managed to smuggle out a few bottles of wine for themselves, and headed back to Ferdinand’s room to spend a few more hours celebrating together. 

There had to have been some sort of contagious energy in the air that dropped both of their guards. 

Once they reached Ferdinand’s chambers, Ferdinand undressed to a state of comfort immediately, removing his boots and jacket. To his shock, Hubert followed suit (mostly. He kept his boots and gloves on, but removed his cloak and jackets. It was the first time Ferdinand had ever seen him with only a simple and snugly fit white tunic. He did not comment on this, for fear of Hubert changing his mind). 

The two, in giddy spirits, skipped the formality of chairs. Ferdinand started a fire in his fireplace, and they both sat on the massive fur rug in front of it, opening as many bottles as they deemed fit to drink while talking about whatever they so pleased. 

Two bottles in, they had switched their conversation to the matter of their assignment. Reviewing the success of it on a more personal level. 

“I must admit,” said Hubert, smirking at Ferdinand from behind his goblet, “You have proved much more capable than I originally expected of you. In another life, you could have been a marvelous actor.” ‘

Ferdinand laughed at that, raising his glass to toast to Hubert’s compliment. 

“Perhaps there’s still time for me in this life? I’ve been told I have a marvelous singing voice. I may run off to join the opera, I hear they are in dire need of a leading tenor.” 

“I’ve heard your singing before. You’d be back, begging for your previous duties before the week’s end,” Hubert teased. 

“Oh hush,” Ferdinand replied, rolling his eyes. “I may have to give you some lessons in acting. You’d surely profit from them.” 

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Hubert asked. 

“Do not mistake me. Your performance thus far has been adequate, but I certainly would not call it extraordinary. In fact, I might say that this is one field of talent I have bested you in,” Ferdinand said, with a cocky smile on his face. 

“And where have you found that I need improvement?” asked Hubert. 

“Well!” Ferdinand exclaimed, all too happy to elaborate on his thoughts. “Whenever you initiate contact with me, you are a pristine picture of a lover, forced to shield his affections from the masses. But when I initiate contact… well,I would swear to the goddess above that you look  _ frightened _ by my actions. Not enough to jeopardize our mission, I’m sure. But I’ve noticed.” 

“Frightened?” asked Hubert, frowning. “Surely such an assumption is a product of your over-active imagination. I am afraid of nothing. And I act no different when you touch me than I would being in contact with any man.” 

“Oh? Would you like to prove that?” Ferdinand asked. Perhaps it was the wine going to his head, but he felt daring. Playful. Up for a challenge. 

“I don’t like that look on your face,” Hubert said. “... However. I will hear you out. And accept, if your idea pleases me at this very moment. 

Ferdinand’s smile widened. He set his goblet aside on the floor. 

“Let’s have a contest. There are no eyes on us, so there’s no harm in seeing exactly how many of my advances you can take,” Ferdinand said. He repositioned himself, until he was on his hands on knees on the floor, crawling ever so slightly closer to where Hubert sat. 

“I shall make contact with you, anywhere I please. If you can accept my gestures, with a straight face, I will concede defeat, and admit that your false shyness was simply another tactical maneuver. However, if your iron masks breaks, or you ask me to cease my actions, I win.” 

Hubert kept his drink in his hand, narrowing his eyes at Ferdinand. 

“And what would we be playing for?” 

“For pride. Oh! And there’s one bottle of wine left. The winner should keep it,” Ferdinand suggested. 

“... aren’t we a bit too old to be playing such games? This seems terribly juvenile,” Hubert said. 

“What’s the matter, my dear Hubert? Are you… dare I say, frightened?” Ferdinand asked, moving in towards him by another few inches. 

That was enough to convince him. Hubert set aside his goblet, with a grim smile on his face. 

“If this is what I must do to convince you, very well. Do your worst,” he said. 

“Oh, I intend to,” Ferdinand responded, his smile widening. 

He crossed the rest of the distance between the two of them, on hands and knees, until he was directly in front of Hubert. That stony, unfeeling look was already on Hubert’s face, but it did not deter Ferdinand. He was the very definition of confidence. He had a plan laid out, knew how he would work to get the upper hand. 

Once he was finally in front of Hubert, the first thing he did was put both of his hands on Hubert’s shoulders. True to his word, Hubert looked positively disinterested by the presence of Ferdinand’s hands resting upon him.

Ferdinand moved his hands down Hubert’s arms, still unable to find any hint of hesitation from the other man. 

Hubert was not only calm. He had started with that damn lopsided smile of his, nearly cooing at Ferdinand. 

“What’s wrong? You were so sure of yourself a moment ago. Have you lost your resolve already?” 

This called for more drastic measures, if Ferdinand wanted to prove himself. Therefore, Ferdinand moved his hands down to Hubert’s calves. He moved both calves aside, freeing up space in between Hubert’s legs. 

Ferdinand slid closer, until he was placed directly in between them. 

“Shouldn’t speaking against the rules?” he asked, moving his hands up ever so slightly, hooking his fingers under the top of Hubert’s boots. 

“Our interactions in public are based solely on physical contact alone. I believe it’s fair to ban any sort of word-play,” Hubert replied. He leaned back, allowing his hands on the floor to carry the weight of his upper body. 

“Very well,” Ferdinand agreed. Then slowly, ever so slowly, began to creep his fingertips up Hubert’s legs. 

First to his knees, pausing for a moment to circle around his kneecap. He watched Hubert’s face the entire time, searching for any sign of weakness. 

So far, no good. Hubert locked eyes with Ferdinand, determined and unmoved. 

So Ferdinand trailed his fingers along ever further. First to the top of Hubert’s thighs, seeing if the sensation aroused anything in the other man. Slowly, ever so slowly, creeping along centimeter by centimeter. 

By the time Ferdinand reached the middle of his thighs, he spoke up. 

“You’re doing quite well, Hubert,” said Ferdinand. 

“If you speak again, I shall disqualify you,” Hubert responded. His shoulders stiffened as he spoke, but Ferdinand allowed that to slide. 

He only chuckled, nodding to confirm that he understood, before his tactics took a more wicked route. This game would not be so easily won, so he had to resort to other tactics. 

Ferdinand's hand moved from the tops of Hubert’s thighs, down into the inside of them. He pressed his fingers there for a moment, thumbs moving his slow circles. Ferdinand looked down for a moment, to inspect how close his hands were to Hubert’s groin. Close, but still enough distance to draw out his strategy. 

Ferdinand might have given up at this point if Hubert truly looked unphased. But he leaned his upper body closer, his face only a few short inches from Hubert’s own, close enough to see a single bead of sweat threatening to drip down the other man’s forehead. 

His fight was not in vain. Victory was on the horizon, and Ferdinand was just tipsy enough to push forward boldly. 

With only the slightest of pressure, with only his fingertips, Ferdinand continued to move his fingers up Hubert’s thighs. He could have sworn he felt a pulse along the veins there, beating powerfully, but was unsure if the heat he felt was from Hubert or from the drinks he had partook in. 

When Ferdinand’s hands had traveled close enough to a location that would have been improper for him to connect with, he moved them. Not too far away, only to the middle of Hubert’s stomach, delighting in the quiver he saw across Hubert’s brow for a reason he’d be forced to unpack at a later date. 

With a bit more force, he clawed those fingers down over the fabric of Hubert’s shirt. Down, and down, and down again, until they threatened to reach the same place he had almost come in contact with before. 

Their noses were almost in contact, so Ferdinand tilted his head. Allowing him to draw his face even closer to Hubert’s, their mouths only a small sliver away from brushing up against one another. 

Ferdinand had so much more planned. His fingers had hit the band of Hubert’s pants. If unstopped, he would have pushed aside the fabric of Hubert’s shirt, and ghosted those fingers over the flesh of the other man’s stomach. 

Before he could, he found his actions halted. By two firm hands, grasping onto his wrists. 

“Enough,” Hubert finally said, while he closed his eyes. Once Ferdinand’s actions were successfully halted, Hubert pushed himself back by the heels of his feet, creating more space in between their bodies. 

It took Ferdinand’s mind a second to catch up to what had just happened. But once he had, he offered Hubert an innocent smile. 

“Ah! So you concede?” he asked, much more chipper than he had been minutes beforehand. 

“Someone had to. You clearly had no intention of ending this farce,” Hubert muttered. 

“Of course! You should know better than anyone. I never give up,” Ferdinand declared proudly. He leaned back, to allow Hubert some room to breathe, but could not retreat completely due to the iron gasp Hubert had on his wrists. 

“Then the victory is yours. As is the wine,” Hubert said. His eyes were open once more, but he had turned his head, gazing off in another direction. “... With that, I ask if you would be so kind as to excuse me for the evening. We’ve had our fun. But I must make sure Emperor Edelgard has made it safely back to her quarters.” 

“Of course,” Ferdinand said, in good spirit. “... But first, you must let go of me. If afraid you won’t get very far, like this,” he added, motioning down to his wrists with a subtle tilt of his head. 

At the mention of that, Hubert removed his hands, as if he had been informed he was grasping onto burning metal. And with a polite clearing of his throat he rose to his feet, brushing himself off before moving to the side of the room to reclaim his jacket and cape. 

Ferdinand stayed on the rug, helping himself to the rest of Hubert’s drink that he had not finished from his goblet. 

“Please send our Emperor my regards. And tell her I thought her speech tonight was most inspiring. As eloquent as ever,” Ferdinand commented. 

“Eloquent. Quite,” Hubert said, pulling his jacket back on, slinging the cape over his arm instead of working on re-attaching it. 

“A toast! To when we meet again. Tomorrow afternoon, if I’m not mistaken?” Ferdinand said, leaning casually on one hand, watching as Hubert struggled with the final buttons of his overcoat. 

“What? Why?” Hubert asked, gazing at Ferdinand for a single moment before focusing back on the work his hands were doing with his uniform. 

“We have a council meeting,” Ferdinand explained. 

“Right. Of course. The council. Yes, I shall see you then,” Hubert confirmed. Once he had his clothing his order, he crossed the room, pausing before he opened the door. “... Do be sure to drink some water before you rest for the evening.” 

“Why?” Ferdinand asked, swirling the fluid in his goblet around, that was most certainly not the hydrating fluid that Hubert recommended for him. 

“You’re drunk. You’ll be miserable in the morning,” Hubert explained. 

“ _ You’re _ drunk,” Ferdinand retorted, drunkenly. 

“I assure you, I’ve sobered up,” Hubert replied. “Good night, Ferdinand.” 

“Good n-” Ferdinand began, but Hubert was out the door before he could return those words of parting. 

Once Ferdinand was left on his own, he decided to take a moment to enjoy the texture of his fur rug, spreading himself out over it. 

Hubert may have had a fair point. He felt as though the drinks of the evening had suddenly hit him. 

It was the only reasonable explanation for the warmth he felt throughout his entire body, and how his hands tingled with anticipation, like they still had work to do with no outlet for the energy contained there. 

* * *

The alcohol they had consumed that night made for an easy excuse for their actions. Both appeared to write the evening off as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Just two close allies, good friends, who had gotten a bit too used to each other’s physical presence. 

As long as they didn’t repeat it. As long as it didn’t become a pattern. Everything could remain the same, unchanged, and there wouldn’t be the need to address any of it. 

So onwards they went. Exchanging glances, curling their pinkies around one another when they knew only a few select individuals were watching, and sure that all of it was nothing more than duties for the sake of their country. 

Then late one night, the two of them had been walking together. Through the dark hallways of the castle, led only by one flickering candle. 

They had been on their way back from a joint meeting with a few of their personal acquaintances, and Hubert had recommended that he escort Ferdinand back to his private quarters, to keep up appearances. Ferdinand had agreed, and held onto the candle while the two of them made their way to Ferdinand’s chambers. 

They spoke quietly to one another, not having to raise their voices in order to be heard through the quiet hallways. 

Ferdinand was used to being the more talkative one of their duo, so it did not surprise him when he had begun to prattle on for a short time, without receiving any sort of responses in return from Hubert. 

What did surprise him was when Hubert suddenly reached out with one hand, extinguishing the flame on the candle by pinching it between his fingers. 

“Wh-”

Ferdinand didn’t have time to question him. Suddenly, he found himself dragged off to the side of the hallway, into a small archway, in front of a closed wooden door. 

Everything had happened so quickly, it took Ferdinand a few moments to realize where he had ended up. 

His body was pressed up against the wooden door. He felt like there was a heavy weight on top of him, but there wasn’t. It was a heavy weight pressed into him. 

It was Hubert, pinning him against the door with the full weight of his body. With a gloved hand clamped firmly over Ferdinand’s mouth, leaning in close, whispering directly next to his ear. 

“Be still,” he instructed, before removing his hand from Ferdinand’s face, relocating it to his shoulder. “We’ve been followed. They must have started once we entered the castle,” he added. 

“Who is it?” Ferdinand asked, in a frantic whisper. 

“I’m not sure. I wasn’t able to turn to spot them without drawing attention to myself. I need you to keep a lookout. Pay attention to the shadows, gather any information you can,” Hubert said. 

That was a task much easier said than done. The two of them had been very close to one another physically before, sure, but never like this. Never pressed directly up against one another, and certainly never for such an extensive period of time. 

Nevertheless, Ferdinand did his part. He turned his head inwards, tucking it away in the crook of Hubert’s neck, just far enough so he still had a sliver of vision with which he could observe anything happening over Hubert’s shoulder. Ferdinand wrapped his arms around Hubert’s shoulder to help mask his line of visibility to outside observers. 

They stayed like that for a solid minute, Hubert’s hands burning against the sides of Ferdinand’s waist, the air filled with the sound of their slow, careful breathing, as Ferdinand kept a lookout for any signs of suspicious activity. 

It had already seemed like an eternity of torment, but apparently it was not enough for Hubert’s satisfaction. 

“We need to make some noise,” he said, once against next to Ferdinand’s ear. “We’ve been too quiet to be convincing. Can you fabricate a sound of pleasure?” 

“Absolutely not!” Ferdinand hissed out. “I’ve never-” 

“Then. My apologies, in advance,” Hubert announced. Before Ferdinand could ask what Hubert meant by that, the taller man’s hand swiftly moved from Ferdinand’s waist, downwards, until it rested on top of his groin, and firmly pressed into its destination target. 

Ferdinand’s eyes snapped open widely, in-taking a sharp gasp of breath. His once loose grip on Hubert turned into an iron grasp, burying his face into the fabric around Hubert’s neck out of habit, trying to cover up the damned moan that escaped his throat shortly after. 

Hubert raised his voice, loud enough for any intruders to overhear, theatrically ‘shushing’ him, as if he hadn’t just specifically instructed Ferdinand to raise the volume of his voice to draw in the rat that had been following them. 

“You… bastard,” Ferdinand responded, with less spitfire than he had originally intended that message to come across. 

The worst part of it was, Hubert’s plan had worked. 

At that exact moment, drawn in by Ferdinand’s increase in volume, a figure became visible just around the corner. 

It was a young man. Not someone familiar, not one of the servants that Hubert had suspected of being a conspirator, but Ferdinand managed to see him for long enough to pick him out of a lineup, should the need to locate this man arise. 

It was entirely possible that it was just a servant, too nosy and inquisitive for his own good. But they’d need to keep an eye on him either way, to see if and when he would pass his newly discovered information onto another party. 

The man was gone again as quickly as he came, once he had stopped long enough to confirm what he had seen with his own eyes. Through desperate gasps for breath, Ferdinand listened to the light sound of his footsteps quickly shuffling off down the hallway, until they could no longer be heard. At that point Ferdinand grasped Hubert’s shoulders, pushing at them. 

“He’s… he’s gone. Enough,” Ferdinand instructed. 

Hubert immediately removed himself from Ferdinand, smoothing down his uniform and stepping back to give his partner an adequate amount of space to recuperate after their latest stunt. 

“That was horrendously inappropriate!” Ferdinand finally managed to get out after he pulled himself together, clutching his jacket to his chest as if his clothes had been torn off of him and he was trying to regain his modesty. 

“I happen to recall you doing something quite similar, only a few short weeks ago. I fail to see how this was any different,” Hubert said. 

“It was certainly different! That was… we had both agreed to it beforehand. And I never actually… But you! There was contact and… you took me off guard!” 

“But it was effective. You mentioned the gender of our pursuer. I can only assume that means you saw what they look like,” Hubert explained, both hands folded in front of his stomach. 

The fact that Hubert looked so terribly unphased by everything only riled Ferdinand up even further. It baffled him, that Hubert could do something so intimate, so bombastically crude, with the same calm demeanor of a healer going through the motions of a physical exam. 

“I did,” Ferdinand snapped at him. “And… and I shall recount the details to you at a later point. For now I shall be escorting  _ myself _ the rest of the way back to my chambers.” 

“... Very well. Good evening-” 

Ferdinand stormed off before Hubert could finish his goodbyes. It was not quite as effective as he would have liked, since his own rooms were only about 10 doors away from their location. He opened a door, entered the room, and slammed it. 

Even worse. The first door Ferdinand entered was not his private chambers, but a storage closet. He had to exit that room, back out into the hallway once more, re-enter his actual chambers, slamming the door once again. 

Once safely in his room, Ferdinand pressed his back against the door, holding his hands to his chest. He shut his eyes tightly, desperately willing himself to even out his breathing through the storm of jumbled thoughts racing through his mind. 

If Ferdinand had hated what had just happened, everything would have been so much easier.

He would have been able to properly scold Hubert for his inappropriate actions, raised a genuine complaint about how he had taken their mission too far. He would have been able to make Hubert back off, and patiently been able to wait out the rest of their time forced together until it inevitably ended. 

He could have gone back to his ordinary life, full of paperwork and meetings and training sessions. 

But Ferdinand was only truly disgusted by his own actions.

Because through the haze, through the fire and lightning flashing through his mind, he knew he had only been moments from begging the other man for  _ more _ . 

Ferdinand buried his face in his hands, letting himself slide down the door until he was sitting on the floor, making empty promises to himself that everything would be better in the morning. 

* * *

Back out in the dark hallways, Hubert stayed standing where he was. He looked at the outside of Ferdinand’s door for another minute, waiting for the possibility that the man might come charging back out into the hall to deliver another verbal lashing at Hubert. 

Once he was sure of the fact that Ferdinand would not re-appear, he looked down at one of his hands. The one that had been grasping at the other man’s groin only a few short minutes before. 

Once he had adequately taken in the appearance of his hand, visually unchanged by his actions, he touched the side of his neck with his other hand. Where Ferdinand’s mouth had been, buried into the fabric, hot and panting. 

But Hubert’s work was never done. He didn’t have time to stand around, reflecting on some ludicrous act he had taken for the sake of his duty. 

Pining over such inconsequential activities was for the innocent masses. Not for Hubert von Vestra, Minister of Imperial Affairs. 

He wanted for nothing but the prosperity of Fódlan. For whatever end his Emperor wished for him to fulfill. 

He removed his hand from his neck, and made his way back through the hallways, with no candlelight to guide him to his next destination. 

* * *

Only a few days later, Ferdinand exacted his revenge in the most effective manner possible. The only thing he knew would embarrass Hubert as powerfully as the humiliation Ferdinand felt. 

He had a few dozen roses delivered to Hubert from an ‘anonymous benefactor’, specifically timed so that he would receive them in front of a few battalions of mages he commanded. Of course, none of his soldiers would dare question him about why he had been delivered such an extensive amount of flowers, nor who the delivery was from, but the gesture would be sure to embarrass the normally stoic and serious man whether or not he was forced to explain himself. 

Hubert loathed every second of it, but he raised no objection when he met with Ferdinand later that day. 

The only thing he said, haggard from the blow to his dignity, was a simple: “Well played. I believe that makes us even.” 

Despite himself, Ferdinand couldn’t help but smile at Hubert’s woe. 

“For now,” he agreed. 

* * *

They were back in that dark hallway, under the same arch. 

Ferdinand couldn’t remember how they got there once again, or why. But they were already in the same position as before. Hubert was pressed into Ferdinand, crushing him with his weight against the hard wood of the door behind him. 

Something was different this time though. Instead of speaking next to his head, Hubert’s face was directly in front of Ferdinand’s. He no longer had that calmly bored expression. He looked hungry, ravenous, eyes searching for something over Ferdinand’s features that sent a chill rolling down his spine. 

Ferdinand tried to move his arms, but Hubert had a firm hold on both of his biceps, pressing his upper arms back into the door. Every breath he took collided with Hubert’s mid-air, and when he didn’t breath he could feel every atom Hubert’s breath so dangerously close to his lips. 

“Why are you doing this…” Ferdinand whispered, refusing to move his head out of the way. He felt hypnotised, trapped in a trance he wasn’t sure he truly wanted to escape from. 

It was hard to tell from so close, but he could have sworn he saw Hubert smirking. That damn crooked smile that passed over his features when he had won a particularly long game of chess, or one of his plots succeeded without a hitch. 

“Because. I’m fascinated by you,” Hubert said. “I’ve never met a man as captivating as you before, Ferdinand von Aegir. I wish to learn more about you… much more.” 

Ferdinand shuddered, and suddenly there were lips pressed against his own. His mouth moved on its own accord, smoothly sliding his lips against the other’s. It didn’t take long for that slow kiss to turn into something much more heated, more desperate, Ferdinand opening his mouth without hesitation to allow Hubert to kiss deeper into him. 

Ferdinand rolled his hips forward, finding that Hubert now had a thigh pressed in between his legs, a blissfully firm surface to grind himself into. 

This action made Hubert chuckle. He reached up with one hand, manually moving Ferdinand’s chin to the side, so he could speak directly into his ear. 

“You’re so impatient… have you really desired my touch this badly?” he asked. 

Ferdinand held tightly onto Hubert with his newly freed arm. Yes. He had wanted this. Ever since that first caress his mind had been plagued by the thought of Hubert’s hands. Holding him, touching him, stroking him. 

Hubert moved his hand down, lightly wrapping it over the front of Ferdinand’s throat. He squeezed there lightly, as his thigh pressed firmer between Ferdinand’s legs, causing the prime minister to moan much like he had before. 

“I love those sounds you make. It is my intention to milk them from you, over and over… until your throat is raw from effort…” Hubert said into Ferdinand’s ear. 

“Please-” Ferdinand started. Hubert cut him off by kissing at and biting his neck, both hands moving down now to unlace the strings from the front of Ferdinand’s slacks. 

Then, suddenly, Ferdinand’s upper body was no longer trapped by that heavy weight. Hubert had leaned back, only to slowly descend down onto his knees. 

“Then I won’t keep your waiting any longer,” he said, moving down the fabric of his pants ever so slightly, kissing the sharp jut of Ferdinand’s hip bones. 

“Please…” was all Ferdinand could say again, trapped in a desperate mantra of wanting, needing, anything Hubert would possibly give to him. 

He could feel the fabric of his pants get slowly dragged down, further and further, Hubert’s mouth on his hip, then his stomach, then so painfully close to his privates-

Then he felt something unusual. At first he thought it had been sweat, but the water wasn’t coming from his own face. It was dripping down onto him, pelting him with a sudden cold sensation. 

Ferdinand’s eyes snapped open, and he was in his own bed, alone. 

He sat up immediately, clutching the sheets around him, and whipped his head to the side where the source of the water had come from. 

It was storming outside, and he had accidentally left his window open. The harsh winds were blowing rainwater into his room, powerfully enough to reach all the way to his bed. 

Ferdinand scurried out of bed, running to the window, and using all of his effort to shut and latch them. 

Once his room was once again protected from the storm outside, he started to mentally process what had just occurred. He pulled away his sleeping pants to observe the state of his manhood, cursing himself when he found it hardened and craving attention. 

Ferdinand set to work to relieve that pressure on his own, cursing and worshiping Hubert’s name under his breath the entire time.

* * *

Hubert had warned Ferdinand, many moons before, that there was a possibility for one or both of them to become targeted by the ring of spies they were attempting to subdue. 

So Ferdinand had been on his guard. He made sure he always had a small knife on his person, avoided empty alleyways, took care of all of his business outside of the castle before sundown. He made every effort to make himself a very difficult kidnapping target. 

Unfortunately for him, a ‘hit and run’ style of attack was not on his list of things to look out for. 

It happened during an innocent trip down into the city surrounding the castle. A simple shopping excursion, to restock on his own personal supply of tea (and coffee, now that he had developed a taste for it). 

Ferdinand was standing off to the side of the road, fingers delicately touching his chin while he read a sign about which coffee bean roasts were available, when he felt someone’s presence appear directly next to him. 

He had meant to turn, to see if he recognized them, to see if it was another of Hubert’s messengers. But he didn’t have time for that. Suddenly there was a sharp pain digging into his side, like ice being plunged underneath his skin. 

He reacted quickly, hand going for the knife he had sitting at his hip. He managed to block a second blow on instinct alone, so the side of his neck was only lightly slashed instead of torn up by the blade of his attacker. 

The attacker was gone before Ferdinand could get in a counter-hit, before he could see anything that might help him later, and before a set of nearby guards arrived by Ferdinand’s side. Half the guard stayed with Ferdinand, while the remaining 2 took off down the streets after Ferdinand’s assailant. 

Ferdinand dropped to his knees on the ground, knowing something was terribly wrong in an instant. He had been stabbed before plenty of times. Such a thing was common when you fought a war. But this injury felt different than the ones he had taken before. 

It felt like the burn of a fire and ice-cold all at the same time. The weapon had clearly been tainted by something. 

As they were down in the city, Ferdinand instructed the guards with him to not bring him back to the castle. To their surprise, he told them to bring him to the Crestology research center. 

They were much closer to the research center. And the castle may have had a fully stocked infirmary, but it was missing one particularly lethargic scholar, whose vast wealth of knowledge was worth ten dozen infirmaries. 

* * *

Hubert had gotten word of the attack within the hour, and was on his way out the door the instant he heard where Ferdinand had been taken to. 

Guards were posted around the Crestology center, all of whom stepped aside and allowed Hubert inside without question. Ordinarily they may have stopped him and done the customary sharing of reports and information, but one look at Hubert’s face was enough to know that anyone who dared tried to speak with him in that moment was in danger of losing either their job, or several very important limbs. So protocol would have to wait. 

By the time Hubert had arrived in Linhardt’s office, things had calmed down. 

The only two men in the room were Linhardt and Ferdinand. Ferdinand was sitting upright on a small cot (a permanent fixture in the room, perfect for short afternoon naps), and Linhardt was sitting in a chair a few feet away. Ferdinand was already patched up at this point, but his shirt remained off so they could keep an eye on his torso for any suspicious bruising. Just in case Linhardt hadn’t been able to extract all of the poison from his wound. 

“Hub-” Ferdinand began, but Hubert did not wait for proper introductions. He crossed the room, knelt in front of Ferdinand, and began searching him. He noted the location of the biggest wound, and how close it was to any of Ferdinand’s vital organs. He pressed his fingers into the flesh around it, distant enough from the wound to not re-open it, but close enough to make Ferdinand complain about it being sore and for Hubert to  _ ‘please stop, I’ve been attacked quite enough for one day-’ _ . 

This didn’t halt Hubert’s action. Satisfied by the fact that his fingers left no marks on Ferdinand’s skin, he started searching for any other marks, any injuries, anything else that had required healing. 

“Have you extracted the poison?” Hubert asked Ferdinand, once he was convinced that the man wasn’t moments away from death’s grasp. Hubert had not been told about the poison, only the fact that Ferdinand had been attacked. But he hadn’t needed to be informed. He was an intelligent man, he could put two and two together. 

“I think so? But we were unsure, so I’ve stayed. For observation,” Ferdinand explained. 

“You know. You could try asking a healer that question,” Linhardt said sarcastically, from his seat on the chair. “If only there was one around here. I’m sure he could give you more information than an injured patient.” 

“My apologies,” Hubert said politely, but unapologetically, not taking his eyes off of the cut at Ferdinand’s throat. “You’ve done well, Linhardt. Nothing appears to be lingering in his system.” 

“High praise from the Minister of Imperial Affairs, as well as a personal visit. Consider me honored,” Linhardt replied. “Thankfully, it was a relatively simple task. The injuries were minimal, just the one stab, and a cut. I barely had to do anything to it. Whoever did this was probably counting on the toxin to do most of the work, without realizing it was a slow-acting. He’ll feel a bit sick for a few days, but our dear prime minister will be back on his horse in no time.” 

“Linhardt is under-selling his efforts. The work he did today was nothing short of spectacular, his talents have only grown since the end of the war,” Ferdinand mentioned, shooting a thankful smile over at Linhardt, while simultaneously fighting with Hubert’s hands, trying to get them to stop poking around his still burning stab wound. 

“Hubert if you  _ don’t _ leave that alone I swear to-”

“Did you collect any of the poison?” Hubert asked, ignoring Ferdinand’s protests. 

“Of course,” Linhardt said. At the mention of that, he picked up a small vial from his desk, holding it up to the light to inspect the few drops of fluid inside. “I knew you’d probably want to investigate it. I was planning on having it delivered to you at the castle. How lucky for me, that you dropped in for a personal visit. That’ll be one less task I have to do today.” 

Linhardt watched the two men. Hubert, roaming his hands all over Ferdinand, still not quite satisfied with his findings and information, and Ferdinand desperately trying to get a hold of Hubert’s hands while insisting that any further inspection was completely unnecessary. 

Linhardt raised an eyebrow. “Should I… leave the two of you alone?” he asked. 

At that, both Ferdinand and Hubert finally turned their gaze to Linhardt. They spoke up, simultaneously. 

“No!” said Ferdinand. 

“Yes,” said Hubert. 

The two of them looked back at each other, re-assesed the situation, then turned to speak to Linhardt again, once again simultaneously. 

“Yes?” said Ferdinand

“No,” said Hubert. 

Linhardt let out a long sigh, rolling his eyes, and standing up. 

“Oh no,  _ please _ . I insist. I don’t want to intrude on anything. Here. In my office,” Linhardt droned out. If he had actually been upset about the situation, he wouldn’t have hesitated to kick them both out. He truly didn't mind, he just enjoyed any chance he had to complain about something. 

“I must go downstairs anyhow, to inform the other scholars about what happened, and why no one has been allowed to enter or leave the premises. Please don’t un-do any of my work while I’m gone,” he said, moving over to Hubert and giving him the vial of poison, and was out of the room before Ferdinand could ask him exactly what he was insinuating by ‘un-doing’ Linhardt’s work. 

Once they were on their own, Hubert seemed to calm down slightly. His hands lingered on Ferdinand now, unmoving, no longer searching for some hidden sign of injury. 

Ferdinand, likewise, let his hands stay on Hubert. On top of his shoulders, close to his neck.

“... do you think it was them?” Ferdinand asked, once they could be sure Linhardt had moved a safe distance away from the door. 

“I’m sure of it,” Hubert replied. His eyes were stuck on that mark on Ferdinand’s neck, his gut twisting as he thought about how close it had been to cutting through a major artery. “This was not the best of their efforts, but it was deliberate. If they had wanted to succeed in killing you, they would have. They must have chosen a slow-acting poison on purpose… to send a message,” he explained. 

“Then… this is good news. Is it not? That means our plan is working,” said Ferdinand. 

“Yes, and no. It does appear as though we’ve distracted them. They’ve been spending time on setting up this stunt, instead of directing those attacks to Emperor Edelgard. But they won’t stop here.” 

Hubert reached up, gently pushing Ferdinand’s hair back behind one of his ears, so the side of his neck with the injury remained completely bared. Ferdinand was too tired to comment about how they were alone, how there was no need for such tenderness with him. 

“... I have a theory, that this attack was a distraction tactic. They’re trying to send us on a wild goose chase of sorts, hoping I’ll use all of our forces trying to scour the city looking for your attempted assassin. They will likely assume that I’ll increase security around you, leaving myself open for an attack.”

“Then we’ll have to increase security around both of us,” Ferdinand suggested. 

“No. If we do that, then the odds of either of us becoming the next target will be split evenly. Increasing protection around you and leaving myself open will give us an upper hand,” said Hubert. 

“I can protect myself,” Ferdinand argued. 

“Clearly,” Hubert replied dryly, applying a bit of pressure with his fingers to Ferdinand’s injured side again, to make a point. Ferdinand hissed in pain, and Hubert made up for his actions by gently placing that hand on Ferdinand’s cheek after. 

“... on horseback, you cannot be bested. But this isn’t a battlefield, the rules are different. I still need you to be on your guard. I’m not putting you on the sidelines. But if you trust my judgement, and allow me to do things my way, I can end this. Very soon. But for that to happen, I need...  _ Fódlan  _ needs you to be safe,” Hubert finished. 

Ferdinand let out a small sigh. He closed his eyes, putting one of his hands over Hubert’s, and nodded. 

“Very well. I’ll leave this to you,” he said, then after a beat, “Please don’t do anything too dangerous. You’re just as important to this country. And… I need you too.” 

Hubert nodded back to him. They allowed themselves to stay like that for another few moments, before Hubert slowly pulled his hands back. He stood up, reaching into his cloak to make sure he had the vial of poison with him, and gave one last look to Ferdinand. 

“Let Linhardt know that I shall arrange a time later on, to properly thank him for his services.”

“You’re not going to say goodbye to him on your way out?” Ferdinand asked. 

“I’m afraid not. I have urgent matters to attend to,” Hubert explained. “If anything about your condition changes, send word of it to the guards at the front gates of the castle. They will know how to pass that information along to me.”

The two said their goodbyes to one another, and Hubert left the Crestology research center, slinking back off into the shadows of the city. 

The vial of toxin in his pocket burned there, but it wouldn’t for long. 

Hubert had every intention of delivering it back to the people who were responsible for the attack on Ferdinand. Only this time, there wouldn’t be any healers around to pull it from their bloodstream before they started suffocating on their own bile. 

* * *

It had been nearing a half-year, since the start of their secret mission. So long that Ferdinand had almost forgotten why they had started doing so in the first place. 

But then one night, during one of their usual meetings to discuss the happenings of the day, Hubert brought it up. Just as their time together was drawing to a close, and Ferdinand asked if there was anything else they needed to discuss. 

“... one more topic. There have been some recent developments concerning our shared task. I have been informed that my agents have discovered what they believe to be the central headquarters of the network of spies who have endangered the empire. We are currently making preparations to infiltrate their location, and eradicate them. Should that prove successful, our duties will have been fulfilled,” Hubert said. 

“Oh!” Ferdinand responded, joyful at first for the potential success of their mission. “... Oh,” he followed up with, once it hit him that this also meant the conclusion of their assignment. 

“Does that mean…” he started, just to be sure. 

“Quite. If that location is truly the powerhouse of their operation, they will no longer be a threat afterwards. We shall both be free to return to our usual duties,” Hubert replied. 

Ferdinand frowned. Just like that, things would return to the way they were before. He would still see Hubert often, but there would be far less private meetings. No more brushing their hands against one another. No more of Hubert pushing a strand of hair out of Ferdinand’s face when just the right person was watching. 

“You seem disappointed,” Hubert commented. 

Ferdinand shook his head. 

“No. I’m delighted that this threat to our Emperor will finally be taken out of commission,” Ferdinand said. And then, with a small hint of guilt in his voice, added “... but I’d be lying if I said I won’t miss this. Just a little. Not the physical closeness! Of course not. But you are… I enjoy working with you. You are a good conversationalist.” 

Hubert smirked, nodding his head slightly. 

“I am inclined to agree. Perhaps I’ll search for another task well suited to your skillset, that we could work on together. Or, at the very least, set aside time in my schedule to sit down for tea with you,” he said. 

That made Ferdinand smile, nodding enthusiastically. 

“I would very much like that!” he exclaimed, his woes put at ease now. 

Things would be different, sure, but they wouldn’t be so terrible. Ferdinand had carried passing fancies for people around him before. 

With time, whatever obsession had constructed itself in Ferdinand’s heart would fade away. He and Hubert would grow even closer, as friends, and that would be enough to satisfy him. 

Nothing to worry about. Everything according to plan. 

* * *

The operation at the enemy headquarters proved to be a grand success. 

Their base of operations was cleared. Any leaders that survived the attack were arrested, only to be found dead in the dungeons a few days after their arrest, due to a mysterious poison that had made it into their drinking water. 

Thus, Ferdinand and Hubert were freed from their duties. 

Ferdinand barely saw Hubert in the following couple of weeks. The other man was busy following up on the attack, conducting searches on the remains to see if they had missed any weapons or useful discoveries, and Ferdinand return to his own work overseeing what improvements could still be made to the quality of life of the common folk of Fódlan. 

They had crossed paths several times. Each time, Ferdinand felt the impulse to reach out to Hubert. To brush their hands together, to step in far too closely to him and mutter some mundane information against his ear. Each time he had to stop himself, had to remind himself that there was no longer any reason to do such a thing. 

But the longing would stop eventually. Ferdinand repeated that promise to himself, each and every time. 

Be patient. Give it time. Focus on your work. It will stop. Eventually. 

Each time he had one of those dreams, the ones where Hubert would hold him, would whisper such beautiful things to him, would touch him, each time Ferdinand woke up in a sweat he reminded himself it was only a passing phase. 

Give it time. Be patient. It will stop. 

Then one fateful day, Ferdinand made a visit to the marketplace. He was between meetings, had a few hours to kill, so he decided to take a stroll through the bustling streets of Enbarr. Just to view some of the wares, perhaps pick up a new set of riding boots if any caught his attention. 

But no shoes managed to catch his eye. Rather, the thing that gained his attention was a small cart, selling a variety of locally grown flowers. And what a beautiful array it was. 

As lovely as many of the flowers were, one set in particular captured his attention more than the others. A small, humble bouquet of red roses. Ferdinand picked them up, inspecting the quality of the petals. 

He smiled to himself as he held onto them, immediately thinking of Hubert. 

He imagined what would happen if he bought these for the other man, and presented them to him. It would be rather amusing. A sort of light-hearted jest. A call-back to the times they had recently shared with one another. 

He imagined the tilted smirk on Hubert’s face as Ferdinand presented them. He’d probably say something like  _ ‘For me? I thought we had moved past such things. How horrendously sentimental of you’ _ . 

And Ferdinand would laugh, and reply ‘ _ You’ve been working harder than ever recently. Such a noble act deserves an equally as noble reward. Think of it as my official break-up gift to you.’  _

And the two of them would laugh together, as fond memories raced through their heads. 

Ferdinand bought the bouquet, and gave some extra gold to the seller in appreciation of the fine quality of the flowers. 

Ferdinand began to walk back to the castle, bouquet in hand, wondering how he would preserve them until he had his next chance to see Hubert. 

Right before he entered through the gates leading to the main castle, he was approached by a stranger. An inconspicuous looking young man, who approached him from the side. 

“Minister Von Aegir?” he asked. 

“Certainly,” Ferdinand responded. With some confusion at first, until he saw a familiar white envelope in the boy’s hand. 

“Ah! I assume you are to deliver that to me?” Ferdinand asked, smiling as the envelope was handed over to him. “You have my thanks,” he added after. 

To his surprise, the boy saluted, and then ran off once more. 

That was peculiar. More often than not, those messengers stayed until Ferdinand had read through the contents of that letter, so they could deliver the prime minister’s response back to Hubert. 

Perhaps the letter was not a question, but rather a passing of information. And Ferdinand would be able to deliver his thoughts on the matter the next time he met with Hubert. 

Ferdinand moved off to the side of the street, so he could open the letter up. 

The first thing he noticed was how wordy the note was. It was not like one of Hubert’s normal messages, concise and straight to the point. This one had at least two pages of information, written in medium sized script. 

Perhaps that was why the boy had not been instructed to stay and wait. Hubert expected him to take some time to read through it. Very well. 

Ferdinand began to read the letter. 

After the first sentence, he began to worry. 

After the second sentence, that worry turned into devastation. 

By the end of the first paragraph, Ferdinand felt as though someone had run at him on horseback with a lance, and had pierced him through his chest. 

He couldn’t even bring himself to finish reading the full thing. Only a brief selective skimming, to make sure no part of the letter offered an appropriate explanation, before Ferdinand tore through the pages on the spot, into as small of pieces as he possibly could, throwing them to the muddied ground with as much force as he could muster. 

Before the pieces could even hit the ground, he stormed off into the castle, with only one goal in mind. 

Find Hubert von Vestra, and give him the biggest helping of Ferdinand von Aegir’s mind the world had ever known. 

* * *

_ ‘Ferdinand,  _

_ It is with deep and sincere regret that I must ask this of you, but I fear that I have been left with no other choice on the matter. I had previously promised you that I would make an effort to offer you my companionship on a more regular basis, but I now know that such meetings are out of the realm of possibility for us. I cannot, in good conscience, continue to meet with you outside of the public council meetings that are required of men in our positions. If I should see you in passing I shall regard you with the same amount of respect and good will as I always have, but to offer you anything more would be most irresponsible of me. I can give you my full support, from afar, but nothing further.  _

_ I am sure you have questions as to my reasons for taking this course of action. I am afraid that words alone cannot summarize the full extent of my-’ _

The rest of that notice was destroyed. Left in the mud, crushed under heels and horse’s hooves, scattered into a thousand separate pieces, never to be united again. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *after the spy leaders "MYSTERIOUSLY" die via poison*  
Ferd: Hubert >:[ How could you? We were supposed to put them on trial  
Hubie: We were? Oops. My bad
> 
> And there you have it!! The second part of our adventure! 
> 
> Up next, Ferdinand confronts Hubert! Next chapter is the last, so it'll be the grand reveal about how Hubert feels about everything that has happened, and we'll see where these two crazy kids end up! ;] 
> 
> Next chapter is mostly done, but I'm going to take some extra time to edit it, to make sure it's perfect! So the next chapter may not be posted until after the weekend. But I promise not to keep everyone waiting for too long!


	3. An Indecent Engagement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SO SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!!! I have a surgery coming up and work decided to SLAM me with hours before I'm off for a few weeks, but I've been working hard on writing a proper finale for this fic and I've FINALLY GOT IT!!! 
> 
> I ended up writing SO much that I had to add another whole-ass chapter to the fic. WHOOPS! But I'm releasing both chapters at once bc it's all complete! It's just cut into two parts to make it easier to read. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for your kind words and support! I can't even begin to explain how happy your comments have made me. ;v; I hope the finale was worth the wait!
> 
> P.S. it's time to get NNNNNASTYYYYYYYY

Ferdinand scoured the castle for Hubert. 

He searched the man’s study first, then his private study. There was no Minister of Imperial Affairs to be found in either location. 

Next was Hubert’s private chambers. Likewise unoccupied. 

Nothing in the libraries. No sight of him in the dungeons. 

Ferdinand even walked through what secret passages he knew existed within the castles, hoping he might find the man hidden in the shadows. He found plenty of rats and spiders, but not even a clue as to Hubert’s whereabouts. 

He asked several guards, a handful of servants, until he was questioning every available person he passed in the hallways of the castle as to where the man might be located. 

Hours passed, with no hint as to where Hubert was dwelling. But when his desperation was almost at its breaking point, he managed to gather a single lead. 

He was in the middle of the kitchens, posing his question to almost every member of the faculty that was working on preparing dinner for the evening. It took the wisdom of the head chef, a hardy middle aged woman (who was quite tired of Ferdinand harassing her staff, and took it upon herself to get him out of her kitchen), to point him in a plausible direction. 

“Nae. I have not seen nor heard word of Minister von Vestra. Only one I know around here that can summon ‘im is the Emperor. A man of your station might do better asking her favor than my staff,” the chef said, elbow deep, scooping the innards out of a freshly slain turkey. 

Truthfully, Ferdinand had considered it. The first hour, he had told himself it was not worth bothering Emperor Edelgard over. But he was growing desperate. 

Ferdinand gave a short, polite bow to the head chef. 

“Then, I shall leave you to your duties. You have my thanks, I shall be sure to repay you later for your wisdom.” 

The chef pulled her arm out of the turkey so she could return the bow to the prime minister, waiting for him to exit out of her kitchen before she rolled her eyes, muttering to herself about how she never accepted the duties of ‘babysitter’ when she accepted her role at the castle, and how she wasn't paid nearly enough for the extra work she did keeping nuisances out of her kitchen. 

* * *

Assuming the role of Prime Minister of all of Fodlan was a very strenuous position. It required an endless amount of work, many sacrificed hours of sleep, and plenty of opportunities for failure. 

The position did come with its own share of benefits. Such as the ability to approach the Emperor’s private parlor at any given hour of the day, and be allowed past the guards without making a prior appointment to see her royal highness. 

Ferdinand burst into Edelgard’s parlor, calling out before assessing the situation inside. 

“Emperor! I apologize for the intrusion, but I- ah,” he said, stopping himself short when he realized the Emperor was not alone. 

She was sitting at a small table, having tea with a very familiar hero of the nation. Ferdinand bowed to both of them. 

“Professor! I was not aware you had returned from your travels. I’m pleased to see you’re in good health,” he said. 

The dark haired woman at the table said nothing, only smiled and gave him a friendly wave. 

Edelgard, on the other hand, stood up from the table, deeply concerned. 

“Ferdinand, is everything alright? You seem… deeply unsettled. What has happened?” she asked, crossing the room to within proper conversational distance. 

“I- … no, your highness. I mean to say, I am troubled, but you need not concern yourself with it. It’s a personal matter,” he explained. “I only came to inquire if you had seen Minister von Vestra recently. I have matters I urgently need to discuss with him, but have not been able to locate him anywhere around the castle grounds. He hasn’t left the city, has he?” 

“Hubert?” Edelgard asked, concern turning to curiosity once she knew her country nor her people were in danger. “As a matter of fact, I saw him only a short time ago. I asked him to help escort our dear professor from the castle gates to my parlor.”

Edelgard took a mental note of how much Ferdinand perked up when he heard the news. 

“You have? Fantastic!” Ferdinand exclaimed, visibly letting out a sigh of relief. “Do you happen to know where he may be now?” 

“He told me that he would be in his private study, and that I should call for him if I required his services. Shall I fetch him for you?” 

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll go to him myself,” Ferdinand said. If Hubert had told the Emperor to send word for him, that meant he hadn’t planned on leaving his study for the remainder of the evening. 

He wouldn’t slip out of Ferdinand’s grasp again. 

Ferdinand bent at the waist, and bowed deeply as he could. 

“Thank you, Emperor Edelgard! You have no idea how much I appreciate your assistance in this matter,” he said. He paused for a moment, staying bowed down, hoping the position would hide some of his nervous energy. “... If I may ask you one more kindness, please do not send word that I intend to meet him there.”

“... very well,” Edelgard agreed. “I trust that I can still send for both of you, should any emergencies arise?” 

“Of course!” Ferdinand said, as he jolted back up to full height, only to bow once again. Once to the Edelgard, then a second time to Byleth. 

“Emperor. Professor. Please enjoy your evening,” he said, before turning on his heel and moving quickly out of the parlor doors.

Ferdinand left Edelgard’s chambers as hectically as he had entered them. 

Once the doors were closed once more, Edelgard turned back to look at Byleth. 

“I suspect that had something to do with what we were previously discussing. Our dear Hubert has been acting the same, though he’s been more tactful at concealing it,” Edelgard said, both pleased and concerned at the same time. 

Byleth took a sip of her tea at the table, with an intrigued smile on her face. 

“I suspect the same. And you say their behavior hasn’t changed, since the end of their mission?” Byleth asked. 

“Not entirely. In public they’ve been perfectly presentable, as they always are, but privately? It’s been the same for a few moons now. The other day, Hubert _ dropped _ a cup of tea. Only because I mentioned how I admired Ferdinand’s new formal jacket”. 

The mental image made Byleth’s shoulders shake for a moment with silent laughter, before she spoke up. “He reminds me of how you used to look.” 

“I know, isn’t it terrible?” Edelgard admitted, with a small smile at the fond memories. “Although, he may be a bit more … troubled by his emotions, than I was”.

Edelgard sighed a bit, placing the tips of her fingers on her temples, willing away an oncoming headache. 

“I know that mission wasn’t a bad idea. Any of us could have stopped it, if things got out of hand. But Ferdinand looked so concerned just now… I hope my decision hasn’t caused some sort of conflict”. 

Byleth set her chin on one of her hands, watching with lazy amusement while Edelgard fussed about. 

“Remind me again, why you decided to pair them together for that particular assignment?” she asked. 

“You don’t remember?” asked Edelgard. 

“No, I do. I just want to hear you explain it,” the professor teased. 

“Well, because it was the best choice for the matter at hand. It was a tactical move, first and foremost,” Edelgard explained, as she returned to her seat at the table. 

“However, I did have a secondary motive. We’ve both known for years that Ferdinand and Hubert are painfully fond of each other. I’ve been seeing it in their actions ever since you pointed it out to me. But they are both entirely dedicated to their work. The only way to get either of them to explore the possibilities within those feelings was to make it their job to do so.”

Then, with a light pink dusting over her cheeks, she added “And… well, I… recalled how you used to assign us to do tasks together, back at the academy. And how Hubert and Ferdinand seemed to despise one another for many years, even after you returned to us, until you started to assign them to weeding and stable duty. So I thought, if a task could turn them from enemies to friends… perhaps another task could make their bond grow even stronger?” 

That made Byleth chuckle, and smile in a way that made Edelgard’s moment of embarrassment entirely worth the experience. 

“You did the right thing. It was an appropriately gentle push in the right direction,” Byleth assured her. 

“I hope so… I can’t help but worry, though. Ferdinand seemed so troubled. What if all of this backfired?”

“He had a bouquet in his hands, just now. I believe they were roses,” the professor noted. 

“Ah. So he did. You don’t suppose he’s about to…”

“Confess? It is one of several possibilities. But who knows? Perhaps it’s just an urgent delivery. An ingredient Hubert requested,” said Byleth. 

“An urgent ingredient, that could only be personally hand delivered by the prime minister?” Edelgard asked, growing more amused by the second. 

“Stranger things have happened in Enbarr,” Byleth responded, reaching across the table, to gently place her hand over Edelgard’s. 

“... they certainly have,” Edelgard said softly, turning her hand around so she could return the gesture. 

* * *

Ferdinand, so many hours after he began his search, returned to the very first place he had sought out Hubert. First, to his public study, then to the secret passage of his private study. 

For the first time since he had ever walked down that hidden staircase, the journey to Hubert’s private study seemed to take an eternity. And not only due to Ferdinand’s heightened state of emotions. 

The moment he entered the stairs leading downwards, he knew something was off. Normally, the journey from the top of the stairs to the entrance of that private study was a minute of descending at most. But as Ferdinand walked down that staircase, for some reason, the stairs never seemed to end. 

He walked around, and around, and around, spiraling downwards, seemingly with no end in sight. Surely Hubert’s study was not so far underground, but Ferdinand found himself unable to reach the end of the spiraling staircase. 

He began to count the steps. First 10. Then 20. Then one hundred, still with no light at the end of the tunnel. 

At only one point, Ferdinand tried to walk back up the staircase, to see how far he had traveled downwards. He counted only 15 steps before he rounded a corner and found the backside of the bookcase again. 

So there was a trick to Hubert’s study after all. One clearly had to be invited in order to find the entrance of Hubert’s true study. The other man must have been counting on Ferdinand, or other potential intruders, to give up on their journey before reaching their destination. 

But if Hubert was counting on Ferdinand von Aegir, Noblest of Nobles, to give up, then he clearly had underestimated Ferdinand’s tenacity. 

Ferdinand did not exit the secret staircase. He turned right back around, making his way back down. A hundred more steps. Then two hundred. Then Two hundred more. 

At a certain point, Ferdinand’s legs began to ache. The burning sensation did nothing to dissuade him, descending further still. 

He wasn’t sure how long it took for things to change. Maybe 10 minutes, more likely a half hour, perhaps more than that. But eventually, once his aching feet threatened to give out from under him, be began to hear a familiar noise. 

A crackling fireplace. The familiar smell of dusky parchment. And there was a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Ferdinand rounded a corner, finding himself in a familiar doorway. Before he could even cross over the threshold, a voice called out to him from within the room. 

“You shouldn’t have come here,” it said. 

The aching in the arches of his feet disappeared as soon as he heard it. 

And then, Ferdinand was in Hubert’s study. 

Ferdinand looked around frantically, hands still crushing the stems of the almost wilted bouquet of roses he did not abandon through his travels. 

And there he was. The man Ferdinand had been hunting down for the better part of the day, hidden away behind his desk. Sorting through piles of documents as if everything was ordinary. 

“And _ you _ should not have assumed I wouldn’t,” Ferdinand snapped back at him. 

“I see,” Hubert replied, cool and distant as ever. “Have you come to taunt me, then? Blackmail me, perhaps? Or have y-...” Hubert continued, but then cut himself off. “... What _ is _ that. In your hand.” he asked. 

“As if you are not perfectly aware!” Ferdinand said, storming across the floor of the study until he was at the side of Hubert’s desk, and threw the bouquet down onto the surface of it. “I thought you might have found them amusing. That it might spark up a memory of the joy we previously shared. Clearly I was mistaken.” 

“... Amusing is certainly not the word I would use,” Hubert agreed, moving his chair back ever so slightly, as if the aroma of the flowers might suffocate him. 

“Oh I am _ sure _ you would have some other choice words for them,” Ferdinand said. He moved around the desk once more, until he was on the same side of it as Hubert, so nothing could shield the seated man from Ferdinand’s full fury. 

Hubert turned his head to the side, redirecting his gaze to the wall. The only safe point in the room that wasn’t filled with Ferdinand’s presence, or the flowers that laid upon his desk. 

“If you’ve come to demand an apology, you shall find I have none to offer you. I stand firmly behind everything I said.” 

“I’ve come to demand an explanation,” Ferdinand retorted. He stepped in closer, as far as he could without his knees bumping into Hubert’s own. He bent at the waist, leaning off to the side so he could enter Hubert’s field of vision, and get closer to eye level with the other man for a proper confrontation. 

Hubert, trapped, finally redirected his gaze, meeting Ferdinand’s eyes with a scowl. 

“I already gave you an explanation,” he hissed out. 

“I want a proper one. What could I have possibly done to deserve this treatment from you? I have been nothing but courteous and civil. And to hear my actions have caused you to detest being in my presence?” Ferdinand asked, feeling that deep stinging pain once more.

“If you truly hate me, say it properly. To me, personally, not behind the safe comforts of a quill and parchment. If I am satisfied with your words, I shall respect your wishes and give you the distance you so desperately desire.” 

For a few moments Hubert said nothing. He sat still, their gazes locked together, the crackling of the fireplace across the room filling in the silence. 

“... how much of that letter did you actually read.” Hubert asked, finally. 

“All of it!” Ferdinand declared at first, before he realized that was not actually factual. “... Well. Most of it. In portions. Everything important,” Ferdinand admitted. He was so riled up, he was finding it difficult to remember exactly what Hubert had penned. 

“Such as the opening of your letter, where you declared your intention to never see me outside of meetings. And how being in my presence fills you with a ‘sense of dread’, as you put it. How even thinking about me without my attendance physically _ pains _ you,” Ferdinand explained. 

The letter had been filled with plenty of those horrendous words, and Ferdinand’s eyes had found each and every one of them. Hubert’s suffering, his torment, his guilt, his burdens. Somehow, all caused by Ferdinand, who hadn’t the slightest idea what he could have possibly done to cause such a reaction in the man he had believed to be his closest friend. 

From this distance Ferdinand could see Hubert’s jaw clench, was able to watch as the man gritted his teeth. 

“You are an insufferable prat,” Hubert all but growled out. 

Ferdinand was about to voice a complaint about Hubert’s language, but the man suddenly stood up from his seat, forcing Ferdinand to stand at full height as well. Suddenly, Ferdinand was being towered over again. Glared down at by a beanstalk of a man, whose eyes were burning with some undecipherable emotions. 

“Had you actually _ read _ what I so painstakingly worked to put into words, you would have understood why I cannot allow myself to indulgence in your friendship any longer. That your entire existence is like a slow acting poison, that had been steadily suffocating me from the moment I first heard you announcing your own damned name back at the officer’s academy. Your voice has been echoing in the back of my head ever since, pounding, as your essence crept through my veins.”

Now it was Hubert’s turn to take a step forward, expecting Ferdinand to take a step back. 

But he did not feel the need to move backwards. By this point, Ferdinand could tell when Hubert was playing up his reputation, and when he was actually making a threat. 

So Ferdinand did not retreat. He kept his ground, allowing Hubert to sneer directly into his face. 

“You’re like a cockroach. Every effort I have taken to stomp you out, to eliminate the distractions you have provided me with, is in vain. Every time I believed myself free from your influence, you’d come back. Glowing brighter than ever, mocking me with that easy smile you’d just as soon offer up to anyone else who crosses your path,” Hubert said. 

“So that is my heinous crime? I’ve wronged you by being _ nice _ to you?” Ferdinand questioned. 

“That and so much more,” Hubert responded. “If kindness was the worst of your arsenal it would have been a simple task to rid you from my thoughts. But every part of you is like a hot knife, crafted specifically to cut into my every weakness,” he added. Hubert raised one of his hands, which hovered for a moment, just over Ferdinand’s arm, before Hubert forced himself to lower it once more. 

“I had put these words down so much more politely on paper. I can do nothing to mask the full extent of my internal conflict now that you have forced my hand. You are correct. I cannot stand being in your presence. Because every time I am so much as in the same room as you, I am blinded to everything but your damned smile. My ears ring every time you throw your head back and laugh. Every ounce of contact with you leaves my skin burning for days afterwards, and there is no ointment or spell that could possibly alleviate the sensation.” 

“So yes, von Aegir. You are like a plague to me. A deep, rotten wound, to which there is no cure. You’ve afflicted me with a torture like no other. Because you keep dangling yourself, like bait, directly in front of me. Just within grasping distance. And I have been forced to come to terms with the fact that I am tempted by you. I yearn for you. I have lost precious sleep for countless weeks, all because I cannot stop thinking about what would happen if I were to act upon that desire. But I am no fool. I am well aware that if I tried to act, if I reached out for you, you’d yank yourself just out of my reach again. That’s how bait works. It entices you, makes you long for it, only to trap you as soon as you fall for it’s siren song.” 

Hubert had almost started to reveal the fatigue in his voice, but used the last of his strength to collect himself. He exercised all of his years of practice, his self-control, his carefully constructed mask, before he uttered his next words. 

“And that is why I can no longer allow myself to indulge in you. I have fought off my desire for you with every fiber of my being. Every moment that passes, I grow weaker, while every year you grow stronger. Wiser. More beautiful. Like a flawless gemstone, that shines brighter for every ounce of pressure you apply to it. It is _ unbearable _, that the only thing I have ever craved, is the one thing I cannot consume,” he said. 

At this, Hubert finally turned his head. He shut his eyes as well, waiting to feel Ferdinand’s presence back away from him. 

“So… I ask you, if you have any ounce of sympathy for me, leave me be. Before this fondness dismantles the last remains of my willpower. Before I do something imprudent, that would shatter everything we worked so hard to build over the years.” 

At that moment, Hubert should have felt the warmth of another body slide away from him. He expected to hear Ferdinand mutter some form of understanding, or perhaps nothing at all, before ascending back up the stairs to the safety of the public corridors. 

But Ferdinand had no such kindness for him. 

Instead, Hubert suddenly felt one hand grasp his shoulder, and another curl around the back of his neck. In his frazzled mind, he believed that Ferdinand was about to strike him, or throw him to the side of the room with anger. Hubert flinched, to prepare himself for the blow, only to find himself struck by a completely unexpected form of contact. 

Ferdinand’s lips on his own. Firm, demanding, and unapologetic. 

The final wall of Hubert’s defenses went crumbling down in an instant. 

Hubert’s arms snapped around Ferdinand, with all the strength he could muster, fingers clawing into the fabric of his jacket. Once he had the other man effectively trapped, his mouth set to work against Ferdinand’s. Hubert kissed him desperately, frantically, trying to cherish every ounce of contact before Ferdinand could change his mind and attempt to retreat. 

But no such moment came. Ferdinand pulled at Hubert’s head, as if the contact between their mouths was not close or powerful enough to satisfy him. It was a short matter of time before their mouths were open, kissing deeply into one another, sharing breaths whenever they could without halting the momentum of their actions. 

At some point, Hubert had re-directed their position. With one arm still firmly around Ferdinand he reached out with the other, swiping whatever he could off of the surface of his desk, onto the floor. Once an adequate amount of surface space was cleared, Hubert moved his hands down to the backs of Ferdinand’s thighs, hoisted him up, and sat him down on top of the desk. 

Ferdinand immediately wrapped his legs around Hubert’s hips. He dug his heels into the back of Hubert’s legs, forcing their bodies to press together as closely as possible. 

Hubert’s mouth left at that point, which caused Ferdinand to make a small sound of protest. That sound was immediately replaced by a pleased sigh, as soon as Hubert’s mouth moved to the top of his neck, kissing and biting at the sensitive skin there. 

With his mouth now freed, Ferdinand was able to speak his first response to Hubert’s confession. 

“Am… ah… am I not allowed to have my own desires?” he asked, head tilted back. 

Hubert did not respond. Instead, his fingers began to work at the buttons of Ferdinand’s jacket. They clumsily managed to undo some of the buttons, but the rest of them had thinned threads that were unable to handle the strength of Hubert’s desperation, and popped off onto the floor. 

It took Ferdinand a moment to notice. When he had, he gasped lightly. 

“My Buttons…” he complained. 

“I’ll repair it for you. Later,” Hubert responded. 

Hubert removed Ferdinand’s jacket, tossing it off to the side. He was back upon Ferdinand in the next moment, moving his loose tunic as far off of one of his shoulders as he could, so he could devour the other man with no barriers between them. 

Hubert kissed down Ferdinand’s neck, biting him, marking him, searching for every bit of flesh that enticed some sort of sound from the man in his arms. He memorized those places, returned to them whenever he found himself longing for Ferdinand’s sweet sighs of pleasure and desperate whines, aching for more. 

Ferdinand found himself lost in a hazy cloud of pleasure. Every time Hubert scraped his teeth over his skin, it sent jolts of electric sensation through his body. It was so much better, so much more than he had ever dared to dream about. The feeling of Hubert’s hot breath against his skin, of hands clamped down on his waist, of being possessed. Of being desired. Of being needed, like an anchor holding down the mighty strength of a battleship from being swept away by a storm. 

Ferdinand clung to Hubert the entire time, moving his body against the other man’s when Hubert found a particularly sensitive spot, and Ferdinand’s hips acted on their own. But just as he found himself prepared to beg for more, to ask Hubert to take off his jacket so Ferdinand could return the favor, desperate for more contact, something gave him pause. 

Ferdinand had reached down with one hand to place it over Hubert’s, only to find that the man’s hands were quivering. 

“... Hubert,” Ferdinand croaked out, removing his other arm from around Hubert’s shoulders. He held onto both of Hubert’s hands, squeezing gently, trying to break through the trance the man was stuck in. “Hubert, wait…” 

At that, Hubert stopped. He forced himself to remove his lips from Ferdinand, leaning back only enough so he could make eye contact. 

They stayed in silence for a few moments, as Ferdinand gently stroked his hands over Hubert’s, who refused to release his grasp from Ferdinand’s waist. 

“I… I’m sorry. If this isn’t what you wanted, I can-”

“I’m fine. This is good,” Ferdinand assured him. He leaned in, pressing a gentle, more innocent kiss to Hubert’s lips, before clarifying for him. “Very good. But… you’re shaking.” 

“... ah. So I am. I hadn’t noticed.” 

“If this is too much-” 

“Absolutely not,” Hubert cut in, moving both hands up now, so he could cup Ferdinand’s face with them. “I have no idea what I’ve done to deserve this. This… seems too good to be true. You must be some hallucination, or a fever dream. And for once, I’m completely unable to snap myself out of it.” 

Ferdinand raised an eyebrow, even as he moved his hands up to gently caress Hubert’s hands once more. 

“You’ve had dreams about me coming into your office to yell at you, then kiss you?” he asked. 

“Of course not. I have nightmares more often than I have dreams. But it has crossed my thoughts on more than one occasion in my waking hours.” 

Ferdinand couldn’t help but laugh a bit, thinking about Hubert day-dreaming such a scenario during particularly dull public meetings. Then, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, determined to demonstrate to Hubert just how badly he also wanted this, said “... And, would a hallucination do this?” 

With that, Ferdinand turned his head in Hubert’s grasp, enough to curl his lips around Hubert’s thumb, gently taking it into his mouth. 

Hubert shuddered, moving his free hand back down to Ferdinand’s waist, wrapping his arm around his back so he could push their hips together once more. 

“That is exactly what a hallucination would do. Or a doppelganger, trying to seduce me. We’ll have to pick out a safe word at some point in the future, so we can confirm each other’s identities before getting to this point of vulnerability,” Hubert said, eyes locked on Ferdinand’s mouth as he lectured. 

Ferdinand released Hubert’s thumb from his mouth, so he could speak again. 

“I don’t believe that’s the definition of a ‘safe word’. You see, a safe word is actually a code word, or a series of code words, verbally agreed on before starting an intimate interaction to provide verbal consent for…” 

Ferdinand then proceeded to give Hubert a full speech about the importance and function of safewords, all while undoing the clasps and latches on Hubert’s jacket and cloak. Hubert was fully aware of everything Ferdinand was describing, but allowed the man to babble on anyhow. 

One, because Ferdinand seemed to enjoy the sound of his own voice. Additionally, it was being paired with Ferdinand’s hands moving over him, undressing him, something that Hubert liked very much and did not care to stop. 

Secondly, it gave Hubert a rather enjoyable opportunity. He allowed Ferdinand to go on, while Hubert set back to work on kissing his neck and shoulders. Hearing the way Ferdinand had to pause in the middle of his speech to gasp or sigh. Learning the ways he could make the man unravel and throw him off of his game using only his tongue and teeth, turned out to be quite an enjoyable activity. 

As pleasurable as it was, the task was ultimately ineffective. Though Ferdinand’s breath hitched, and he moaned, and he desperately rolled his hips when Hubert’s hand reached down to gently massage his member over his pants, nothing could make the man stop talking. So Hubert gave in, taking the much less creative solution of silencing Ferdinand by kissing him on the mouth again. 

Eventually they both ended up dressed down to only their pants. Ferdinand delighted in that, sitting as close to the edge of the desk as possible, so he could press himself directly against Hubert. 

Ferdinand had only gotten a brief glimpse at what Hubert looked like with no shirt on, so he let his hands do the rest of the exploring for him. The broad expanse of his shoulders, every curve, every scar. Something no one else was allowed to see. All of it a gift, only for Ferdinand.

They were both panting, sweat beginning to develop over their skin, when Hubert pulled his mouth away from Ferdinand’s. They stayed wrapped up in each other’s arms, Foreheads pressed together as they spoke. 

“I want to have you…” Hubert said, softly. 

“I want the same,” Ferdinand responded. Both of them were clearly hard, and had been grinding themselves against one another for quite some time. Ferdinand was in dire need of a release. “Please, Hubert…”

“But not right now. Not here,” Hubert added. 

“... beg pardon?” 

Before Ferdinand could get upset, Hubert kissed him again. With the slightest smirk on his face, seemingly amused by Ferdinand’s misunderstanding. 

“We should move to my chambers.You deserve to be taken properly, on a bed. Not on an old desk in a dusty study,” Hubert clarified. 

Ferdinand relaxed again, but did not seem entirely pleased by that idea. 

“Even if I want to be taken on the desk? I’m not terribly picky, I think here is just fine,” Ferdinand argued. “The idea of not having you in my arms from here until we reach your room is … unappealing.”

Hubert chuckled at that, and kissed Ferdinand’s cheek. 

“And here I thought you had grown more patient over the years… very well. I believe I have a solution that will satisfy both of our needs. But you’ll have to hold onto me,” Hubert said. 

Ferdinand did as Hubert instructed, tightening his grip on the dark mage. Hubert leaned forward a bit, one arm wrapped around Ferdinand, while his other hand searched under his desk for something. 

Hubert found what he was looking for, an intricate seal burned into the wood, tightening his grip on Ferdinand just before the two of them warped out of Hubert’s study. 

One moment there was a desk under Ferdinand. The next, there was nothing but the floor of Hubert’s bedroom. The sudden change of position confused Ferdinand, and he surely would have collapsed on the ground if it wasn’t for Hubert’s arm wrapped around his lower back.

Ferdinand caught his footing on the floor after a moment, looking around the room in a mild panic once he was standing properly again. Once the shock had gotten out of his system, Ferdinand began to understand what had happened. 

“Hubert? Was that..”

“A warp spell? Of sorts. It’s a minor deviation from one. It only travels between two fixed points. My emergency ‘escape route’,” Hubert explained. 

“... but why does it lead to your private chambers?” 

“Because that’s where I have most of my weapons, and traps”. 

Ferdinand waited for Hubert’s telltale chuckle, to alert him that the man was being sarcastic and not completely serious, but no such laughter came. 

It didn’t bring Ferdinand’s nerves any ease when he looked around the room, only to realize Hubert’s curtains were drawn shut, and that it was impossible to tell where any trap doors or weapons might be hidden. 

“... should I try to watch where I’m going?” Ferdinand asked. “I wouldn’t want to disturb anything…” 

Hubert did chuckle that time, smoothing one hand over Ferdinand’s hair while he purred next to his ear, “You never need to worry about your safety in this room. I’d never let any harm come to you.” 

That statement made Ferdinand’s heart flutter. And just like that, all concerns about hidden swords in walls and mysterious floor-traps dissipated from his thoughts. He shifted his focus back to man in his arms, barely visible in what little moonlight made it into the corners of the room. 

He found Hubert’s lips again, and the two found themselves in the exact same rhythm as they had before. Moaning softly against one another, hands roaming wherever they so pleased. 

After a few more minutes of indulging in one another, Hubert finally broke their kiss. 

“My bed is directly behind you. Please, make yourself comfortable”. 

“You won’t be joining me?” Ferdinand asked, trying not to sound too disappointed 

“I shall. Momentarily,” Hubert explained, pressing a reassuring kiss to the corner of Ferdinand’s lips. “The only oil I have in my room is tucked way. I’ll have to retrieve it”. 

“Oh,” Ferdinand responded, flushed, but understanding. He let go of Hubert, allowing the man to escape from his grasp. 

The moment his arms were free, Hubert made a subtle gesture with his hand, and a small fire erupted in the fireplace, bathing the room with a gentle glow of light. Even after they were parted from one another, Hubert couldn’t help but pause, studying Ferdinand in the soft burning light. 

It was only for a few short moments, but Hubert committed it to memory none-the-less. The image of Ferdinand von Aegir, shirtless, aroused, every inch of him glowing in the light the flames created. 

Hubert eventually tore himself away, crossing his room, leaving Ferdinand on his own. 

Ferdinand had seen Hubert’s bed several times before. Moreso in the most recent months, when Ferdinand could visit Hubert’s chambers late at night, but only for tame and civil meetings. He never, not even once, actually sat on the man’s bed. And now it was his for the taking, an open invitation. 

Ferdinand put one of his hands down on the sheets first, just to get an introductory feel to it. 

The sheets were surprisingly silky. Ferdinand was almost tempted to remove the sheets from the bed entirely, ashamed to soil them with whatever was about to happen between himself and Hubert. He changed his mind when he moved to the side of the bed, inspecting the mattress cover under the sheets, only to discover it was made of an equally as luxurious fabric. 

Having made the ultimate decision that soiling one top-sheet was better than dirtying the entire bedspread, Ferdinand sat down directly on top of the bed. 

He mentally noted how much firmer Hubert’s mattress was than this own, but held no complaints about it. 

Ferdinand extended his exploration, first laying down on his side, then flopping over onto his stomach, his face pressed into one of the pillows on the bed. 

He took in a long breath, and let out a deep sigh of relief. 

Ferdinand had many dreams about being in Hubert’s bed, but nothing within Ferdinand’s imagination beat the real thing. He had never imagined how smooth Hubert’s bed was, how comforting, how it smelled so strongly of Hubert that just laying on top of it felt like being wrapped up in the man’s embrace. 

Ferdinand found himself lost in that train of thought, only snapped out of it by the vague feeling of pressure behind applied to another corner of the mattress. 

By the time his eyes were open again, Hubert’s body was pressed down on top of him. 

“Well? How did the inspection go? Is everything up to your standards?” Hubert asked. 

Answering that question proved to be a difficult job for Ferdinand. Even with the thin layers of clothing they had on, he could feel Hubert’s hardness pressed directly against his ass. 

So Ferdinand remained speechless. His only response was a firm groan, rolling his hips up into Hubert’s. 

That got a reaction out of Hubert, who likewise began to slowly grind himself down against Ferdinand. They developed a steady rhythm together, and the room became occupied by only the sounds of their gasps and gentle moans. 

By the time Hubert had reached under Ferdinand’s hips, firmly massaging and stroking the fabric over his groin, his patience finally began to wear thin. 

Ferdinand, with an iron grip on Hubert’s sheets, lifted his head as far as he possibly could. 

“Hubert, please,” he begged. “I… I can’t go on like this. I’m too close to…” 

Ferdinand could bear to make himself complete that sentence, but Hubert didn’t seem to need the clarification. Hubert removed his hand from Ferdinand’s groin, and stilled his hips, though he did remain pressed into the man below him. 

Both of them took a moment to catch their breath again, before Hubert sat upright on the bed. He moved his hands to Ferdinand’s hips, fingers curling under the fabric of his pants, pausing before moving them anywhere. 

“... I wanted to do so much more with you,” Hubert admitted. 

Still half in a daze, this statement caught enough of Ferdinand’s attention to get him to open his eyes again, glancing over his shoulder at the man looming over him. 

“... Hubert?” he questioned. 

“When I imagined this happening, I had so much more planned. I wanted to worship every inch of you before even starting on pleasuring you… I apologize for my haste,” Hubert responded, in such a soft and genuine tone, it almost broke Ferdinand’s heart. 

Therefore, the redhead responded by twisting his torso and hips, re-positioning himself so he was chest to chest with Hubert. He wrapped his legs around Hubert once more, caressing Hubert’s face in his hands. 

And he smiled. A reassuring, tender, affectionate gesture. 

“You will have plenty of time for that in the future. I promise. I give you my word,” Ferdinand said, pausing to kiss Hubert. “And my body…” another kiss. “My heart, and my soul…” and yet another kiss, that lingered on longer than the first two. 

That answer seemed to satisfy Hubert, so he returned the kiss. Their hips moved together for another moment, and Ferdinand took action before Hubert could become distracted by it again. He reached down so he could push his own breeches off of his hips, sliding them down as far as he could, freeing his member from it’s constricted prison. 

That was enough to snap Hubert back into action, who stopped kissing Ferdinand, so he could sit up and gaze down at the other man. 

Ferdinand stayed on his back, legs spread out, trying not to fidget nervously while he laid under Hubert’s calculating gaze. 

Just when the silence in the room was starting to drag on for too long, Hubert spoke up. “Absolutely radiant…” he muttered, before aiding his comrade by removing the unneeded fabric from Ferdinand’s body entirely. Said pants ended up tossed onto the floor, before Hubert returned his hands to Ferdinand’s legs, stroking up and down the barred flesh of his thighs, admiring the man below him. 

Ferdinand closed his eyes, tightly, fingers curling back into the sheets below him while he groaned. 

“Hubert, you’re killing me. Please…” 

That made Hubert laugh, his fingers brushing ever so close to Ferdinand's cock before moving away again. 

“Yes. And it will be slow and painful death. Horrendously agonizing… as is my specialty,” Hubert said. 

He made Ferdinand wait a few more minutes, delighting in seeing how much he could rile the prime minister up. How he could play Ferdinand like a fiddle, make him switch between small sighs of pleasure and groans of aggravation, before he had gotten his fill and decided he had made the man wait for long enough. 

Hubert finally leaned over to the side table of his bed, picking up the vial of oil he had procured when they first arrived in his chambers. He generously coated two of his fingers, and the palm of his other hand, before placing the vial aside on the bed in case more was needed later. 

Finally, Hubert lined up one of his fingers over Ferdinand’s entrance. He pressed there lightly, rubbing his digit in small circles, while his other hand grasped Ferdinand’s weeping member and began to stroke him. 

“... the more you relax at this point, the sooner I can give you what you desire. Try to think of something enjoyable. Such as an early morning ride on your favorite horse. Or perhaps one of your favorite types of tea,” Hubert purred out. 

It was hard for Ferdinand to form a coherent thought, but he still managed to smile and speak up, looking at Hubert with half-lidded eyes. 

“I cannot think of anything more enjoyable than your hands on me, Hubert…” 

Hubert smiled at that, leaning down to he could gently kiss Ferdinand’s chest, right over the heart that pounded within his ribcage. 

With that, Hubert began to slide his finger into Ferdinand. Only to the second knuckle at first, slowly moving it in and out to get him used to that sensation. Ferdinand was surprisingly receptive to that, his body giving very little resistance to Hubert’s hands. 

Hubert added a second finger shortly after, moving his head so he could whisper against Ferdinand’s ear. 

“You’re doing very well. You’re either very well practiced, or you’re a natural…” 

Ferdinand shuddered, breath coming out in short hectic pants. 

“I.. I’ve never..” he tried to say, but found himself unable to finish the sentence. 

Hubert kissed the shell of Ferdinand’s ear, allowing him to leave that sentence unfinished. 

“Good boy,” is all he said, delighting in the deep moan of pleasure those words brought out of Ferdinand. 

Hubert’s hands worked on Ferdinand for what seemed like ages, stretching him open, a light burn of pain mixed with the sweetest and rarest of pleasures. 

When Ferdinand was starting to doubt how much more he could possibly endure, Hubert finally pulled his hands away. He pushed his own pants down, just enough to free his own cock, one hand cupped over Ferdinand's ass while he waited for permission. 

“If you feel ready... “ he asked. 

Ferdinand hooked his legs around Hubert once more, hands moving up to grasp onto his shoulders. 

“I … I am.” he replied, concisely. 

When the two of them made love, it was a desperate thing. The moment Hubert entered Ferdinand, they both seemed to lose whatever remnant of control they had still been clinging onto. 

Both of them had waited for too long. Years of pent up aggression, of forbidden desires, of wishful thoughts, of joy and companionship and hidden torment, all came pouring out at once. They had to make up for the years they spent too stubbornly set on their own ideals to appreciate each other, and for the years they spent afterwards too set on their duties to act on their desires. 

A thrust for each time they reached out for the other’s hands, only to pull it back. A kiss for every time their faces had been a hair’s breath away from one another, only to turn away. Hands clasped firmly against each other, fingers laced, holding on so tightly to make up for every moment they picked up a weapon instead of each other. 

Ferdinand had lost control over the volume of his voice, his cries of pleasure ringing through the room, but Hubert did not have the strength or any intention to pull it back. Hubert himself was quiet, near silent, but what he lacked in vocal power he made up for with physical action, with thrusts and an anchoring grip and deep, wild kisses. 

Admittedly, the two of them had worked up to this moment for so long, neither one lasted for a terribly long time. One thrust in just the right spot was all it took for Ferdinand to go over the edge, crying out one last time as he spilled his seed between his and Hubert’s stomachs. 

Despite the sudden exhaustion that hit him as soon as he reached that point, Ferdinand did not allow himself to rest. Not until Hubert had reached the same level of satisfaction. So, with shaking limbs, he continued to roll his hips into Hubert, gasping every time Hubert hit into that sweet spot of pleasure within Ferdinand that sent flashes of lighting through his weary body. 

With a gasp of his own, growling out Ferdinand’s name like he was cursing the man, Hubert also reached his climax. He pushed himself into Ferdinand, as far as his length would allow, and stayed there until he had completely emptied himself into the man below him. 

Once the last waves of pleasure had passed through Hubert, he collapsed, allowing his full body weight to crush Ferdinand against the mattress below them. 

Neither one moved for a few moments, Hubert still buried inside of Ferdinand, both of them drawing ragged breaths while they recovered from their activities. Ferdinand eventually found the strength to slowly and lazily run his fingers up and down Hubert’s spine, paying close attention to how easily he could feel Hubert’s heartbeat pounding against his chest. 

When Ferdinand spoke up, his voice was somewhat hoarse, like it used to get back when he spent his days shouting commands at army battalions. 

“Thank you,” Ferdinand said, following that by pressing a sweet kiss to the side of Hubert’s head. 

“... Why are you thanking me? As if I’ve done you some sort of kindness,” Hubert asked, sounding strangely vulnerable in a way Ferdinand had never heard from the other man. 

“I always show my gratitude, when I’ve been given a gift,” Ferdinand explained. 

Hubert didn’t respond at first. He seemed to think that over, analyzing it in his head, before he responded in kind. 

“If what I’ve given you is a gift, what you have given me is a fortune. … I shall find an adequate way to repay you,” Hubert promised. 

  
‘ _ Foolish man… you already have _,’ Ferdinand thought, but he didn’t put it into words. Instead, he settled for enjoying the time they had together, of finally having what his heart had yearned for.


	4. A Humble Proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE WE GGOOOOO the quote unquote "final" chapter 
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to Edelgard, it is officially Edelgard loving hours bc I stan a fucking legend who does things HER way!!!! FUCK what Serios said

Hours later the two of them laid in Hubert’s bed together, energy spent, but neither one willing to fall asleep quite yet. 

It was unthinkable, cutting their precious time together short. 

There would be plenty more days for them to sleep. The time they had to lay with one another, glistening with sweat and wrapped up in each other, was painfully limited. 

Which was why as Ferdinand laid there, with his head on Hubert’s chest, he made sure his eyes stayed half open. It would have been so easy to drift off into a deep sleep there. He felt safe and comfortable, and Hubert’s long fingers gently stroking through his hair only made the siren song of sleep far more tempting with every passing moment. 

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Ferdinand finally muttered, hoping that engaging Hubert in conversation would make it easier to keep his eyes open. 

Hubert gave a hum of approval, lifting up a lock of Ferdinand’s hair, observing how it moved through this fingers. 

“If only wish-granting was one of the spells in my arsenal. Though it would surely be a faith based spell, should such a thing exist. I’m afraid I don’t deal with magic quite as constructive as that,” Hubert mused. “Perhaps there’s a time-halting spell. Somewhere in one of the older books of our mage’s library.” 

Ferdinand turned his head, so he could look up at Hubert’s face. 

It was such a rare, and glorious sight. Hubert was smiling. Not smirking, not like the faces he made when he was finding joy in someone else’s defeat. His features were relaxed, the tiredness and fatigue in and around his eyes no longer hidden by the walls he had built up to mask his emotions. 

It was absolutely breath-taking. 

“But even you wouldn’t be able to stop time forever. There would still come a time where we have to return to our duties,” Ferdinand said. 

Ferdinand regretted speaking as soon as that left his mouth. Upon the reminder of their duties, the smile left Hubert’s face. He was still just as unguarded, still focused on his study of Ferdinand’s hair, but clearly troubled by what had to inevitably happen once they parted ways before sunrise. 

“... of course. We are both vital assets to the empire. We cannot allow our personal feelings to affect our duties,” said Hubert. 

“I agree. Of course,” Ferdinand replied. He lifted his head more now, re positioning himself so that more of his body laid on top of Hubert’s, to make up for the lack of warmth against the side of his face. “But surely you don’t expect things to go back to the way they were before. I understand that… that there is no ideal outcome here. But the thought of never having you again…” 

“I’m thinking,” Hubert said, closing his eyes, letting his hand rest on the side of Ferdinand’s face once more. 

Ferdinand turned his head, just enough to press his lips to the center of Hubert’s palm. 

“You can’t think and look at me at the same time?” he asked. 

“If I had the ability to use reason in your presence, let alone so close to you, we would not be in this predicament in the first place,” Hubert replied. 

That made Ferdinand smile, filling in the silence after by peppering sweet kisses all over Hubert’s hand and wrist. Each fingertip. Every scar. 

“And if you continue doing _ that _ , you’ll be forced to wait for my deliberation until after I’ve taken you a second time tonight,” Hubert said after a few moments of silence. 

“Then give me something else to occupy myself with,” Ferdinand replied. 

“ _ You _ could try coming up with an idea. I know you’re capable of it. That is, if you haven’t already spent all your critical thinking skills for the day trying to negotiate your way into my bed,” said Hubert. 

“That was not my intention when I arrived here. It was just… a pleasant surprise,” Ferdinand said, leaning over so he could kiss Hubert’s jawline. 

They had spent hours exploring one another, but there was still so many places on Hubert that Ferdinand hadn’t kissed, and not enough hours in a lifetime for his lips to meet every inch of the other man’s body. 

Ferdinand paused his actions for a moment, allowing himself to sigh. 

“I know that our feelings for one another are… not usual. But surely we aren’t the only two people in the world who feel this way. Perhaps not even the only nobles that are faced with this affliction.” 

“It has certainly happened before in higher society,” Hubert said. At that, his eyes snapped open, a sudden look of concentration on his face. 

Ferdinand lifted his head up again, eyes wide, searching Hubert’s features for a hint as to what was running through his mind. 

“... Hubert?” 

“It’s difficult to find evidence of it in history books. If you read stories of noble lineage at face value, it would appear that any noble with homosexual tendencies was either stripped of power and removed from society, or experienced a miraculous change of heart. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist,” Hubert said. 

He went from staring up at the ceiling to lifting his head, so he could meet Ferdinand’s inquisitive gaze. There was a sudden confidence on his face, a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“While I do understand the sentimental value of marriages, they often serve a much higher purpose. They have been used to unite countries at war, or gain political advantage,” Hubert explained. 

Ferdinand’s eyebrows pushed together on his head. “I know that… but I’m not sure I follow where your heading with this line of thought.” 

“I am suggesting that we can use the power of political marriages, to shield us. One does not need to love their spouse in order to have a successful union, they only need to perform a select few duties. Affairs are absurdly common in political marriages, even amongst those drawn to members of the opposite sex,” said Hubert. 

This line of thinking seemed to upset Ferdinand, who could only frown at the thought of it. 

“Don’t those duties usually involve a certain level of … intimacy, in order to produce an heir? And married couples share their sleeping chambers with one another. I don’t know how I would feel about sharing my bed with someone whom I didn’t love,” he said. 

“In the past, the act of producing an heir was the most important duty of any marriage, yes. However, Emperor Edelgard is currently reforming the country, and replacing the archaic system of nobility with one based on merit, not lineage. Even if we were to produce children, there is no guarantee that those children would rise to power. And if we failed to produce any children, then our roles would be filled by worthy successors after we retire from our positions,” Hubert said. He reached up, slowly brushing Ferdinand’s bangs away from his forehead. 

“My own father and mother had separate private chambers, for as long as I can remember. They were bound by duty, and nothing else. I would certainly have more respect for my wife than my father had for his, but I would not be obligated to show her anything besides respect and good-will. I would even consider buying her her own estate to live in, while I continue living within the castle walls,” Hubert mused.

“Then, we would be free to do as we pleased. History would remember us only for the weight of our accomplishments, and not by the horrors of our scandals. Scholars of the future could take comfort in the fact that our personal lives were terribly dull and ordinary, none the wiser of where our true affections lied,” Hubert finished. 

Hubert stroking his hair was certainly comforting, but his plans still left a twisting sensation in Ferdinand’s gut. 

Truly, his own mother and father had not had a happy union either. But Ferdinand could only think of all the times he had seen his mother with tears in her eyes, the deep sadness that rested on her face any time she thought no one was watching her. The way she’d stare out of an open window, off into the horizon, like she was considering the merits of leaving it all behind and never looking back. 

But then he’d tug at her skirt, and she’d scoop him up, and she’d cover him with kisses until he started laughing gleefully. 

He had always tried his hardest to make her happy. And he told himself, from a very young age, that when he himself was married someday, he’d never let his beloved feel unloved or alone. 

If he were to marry someone while maintaining the relationship he desired to have with Hubert, there was no way he could give enough of himself to his spouse to truly make her happy. 

“... You disagree with my position on the matter,” Hubert said, suddenly appearing far less enthusiastic about his plan. “That’s a pity. It seemed like a very feasible idea.” 

“And why would you assume that? I haven’t said anything,” Ferdinand said. 

“It’s  _ because _ you haven’t said anything. Additionally,-” Hubert said before he reached up, tapping his finger lightly on the space between Ferdinand’s eyebrows. 

“You’re too expressive. I can read your thoughts, just by looking at your eyebrows. You’d feel guilty about being married to someone when you love another. Am I far from the truth?” Hubert asked. 

Ferdinand not only frowned, he pouted. It was not uncommon for him to do so, strictly when around close friends, but something about him doing such a thing with no clothing on was a mental image Hubert made sure to commit to memory. 

“... you’re not incorrect. I have never been satisfied with being inadequate at anything. The thought of being an inadequate husband, because I cannot love my wife… not to mention using someone else, with their own feelings and desires, as a human shield. It troubles me,” Ferdinand explained. 

Hubert sighed. 

“I should have expected such an answer from you. You are far more empathetic than myself,” Hubert commented. “If you would feel uncomfortable doing that, I will accept your wishes. It was merely a suggestion. My first idea. I can keep plotting until I find a recommendation that suits you better.” 

“Let me think about it,” Ferdinand said. “We don’t need to make any decisions tonight, right? I’m sure no horrible rumors about our ever-present bachelor status will plague us for quite some time.” 

“A fair point,” Hubert agreed. “We’ve been purposefully spreading rumors about our companionship for nearly half a year. I’m sure a half year more of a carefully guarded affair wouldn’t raise suspicions.” 

Hubert went back to stroking his fingers over Ferdinand’s hair, as if admiring a sacred treasure. A prized possession. 

“And even if rumors begin to spread, I am the backbone of information in Fodlan. Should anyone feel it necessary to question either of our personal lives, I’ll simply have them removed from their homes, never to be seen again.” 

“You  _ will  _ speak with me before you start doing such things,” Ferdinand responded, sternly this time. “If our only options came down to you slaughtering others on my behalf, or a marriage of convenience, I’d choose the latter.” 

“Of course, my shining sun,” Hubert said. The flat tone of his voice had a somewhat sarcastic tilt to it, but it could not stop Ferdinand from flushing at the sound of those words in Hubert’s voice. 

Sarcastic as it was, those words brought up strong emotions in Ferdinand, and it drove him to move his face forward, to capture Hubert in a kiss once more. 

Hubert found himself rather obligated to return that kiss. 

The two found themselves quite distracted for the next hour, all thoughts of political marriages and ingenious plots far away from both ministers. 

* * *

Ferdinand and Hubert waited 3 long years before arriving upon a solution. 

3 years of carefully controlled longing looks across council tables, of caresses masked as friendly contact, of kisses stolen in dark corridors and private meetings that ended with incredibly unprofessional physical contact. 

But with every month that dragged on, the dangers around them increased. 

Every year the peace in the lands of Fodlan grew, but the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in their age pool decreased. More and more nobles and commoners alike were partnering off, finding suitable life partners, while the Minister of Imperial Affairs and the Prime Minister continued to remain unclaimed. 

In all of those years, neither Ferdinand nor Hubert had been able to conduct any viable solutions to their predicament. 

Running away together was out of the question, as neither was willing to abandon their Emperor or their country. Which left only two options. 

The safe option, a political marriage. Or a more dangerous path, remaining a bachelor. 

Ferdinand had heard jests and theories about his romantic interests a handful of times. Not many, but enough soldiers enjoyed mocking his prim attitude, and his current disinterest in women. Those japes did not offend him. 

It only took one rogue comment about Hubert’s disposition, faintly overheard during a training session from a rather ignorant footsoldier, for Ferdinand to make up his mind about their future. 

The next time they met, before either had the chance to embrace one another, Ferdinand brought up the topic. 

“I think it’s time,” he said. 

Hubert, at that moment, had been through a very long day. Ordinarily he was able to read his beloved’s pattern of thinking with great ease, but the sudden cryptic comment when he had expected to be embraced had thrown him off of his usual perceptiveness. 

With arms ever so slightly outstretched, waiting for a hug that was not coming, he raised an eyebrow. 

“... Time for?” Hubert questioned, running through his memories to try to piece together what Ferdinand was expecting in that moment. 

“For what we spoke about, when I first expressed my feelings for you,” Ferdinand explained. He stepped forward, grasping both of Hubert’s hands in his own. 

“When I was first welcomed into your bed, I was smitten by you. I knew I wanted you, longed for you, though I was unsure of what the future would hold for us. But now…” Ferdinand continued. He trailed off for a moment, lost in his own thoughts. 

In the next moment, he pulled Hubert’s hands to his face. He kissed them first, then laid his cheek against them. 

“I cannot imagine life without you by my side. And I fear I will not be able to keep you unless I am willing to make an adequate sacrifice. If the only way to preserve your dignity is to take a wife, then so be it.”

“... My love…” Hubert muttered. 

At first, after their confession, Hubert had called Ferdinand many pet names. Always with a hint of sarcasm, teasing, joking. At some point, a grey ambiguous area in time, the pet names had become less and less disingenuous. 

Hubert leaned in, resting his forehead against Ferdinand’s. 

“I feel like I’ve failed you. Not being able to concoct a more comforting solution, through all these years.” 

“You cannot create a perfect solution, if one does not exist,” Ferdinand mused. “It may not be ideal, but it’s our only remaining option.”

“... I understand,” Hubert replied. He pressed his lips to Ferdinand's forehead, then his cheek, then his jaw, his neck, his ear. Every comforting place Hubert had become familiar with over the years. 

“I do not intend to choose my betrothed on my own. I shall leave it in the hands of the Emperor, if that is acceptable with you,” Hubert added. 

“Then I shall do the same. Please, inform me of when you ask her. I shall put in my own request some time later. So we do not draw suspicion,” Ferdinaind said. 

Thus, their plan was cemented. In order to keep one another, without the threat of political ruin looming over their heads, they would set up valid marriages. 

Whatever it took to keep one another safe, without giving up their connection. 

* * *

The moment Ferdinand had received his official summon from the Emperor almost made the nobel retch. 

It was such a seemingly innocent notice, for such a terrible deed. 

He could not blame her, of course. He was, after all, the one who had put in an official request for his Emperor to assign him to a politically advantageous match. 

But so soon? Only a few short weeks after he had announced his decision to marry whomever would suit the growth of the empire? 

Ferdinand had wish for at least a few years of peace before he was required to fulfill his duties in such a manner. Selfishly, and foolishly. 

Of course the Emperor would already had an extensive list of candidates lined up to wed him. He did, after all, hold the third most important position within the empire. And with a somewhat recently ended war, there were plenty of important strategic territories, not quite loyal to the Emperor’s rule, that had plenty of marriageable bachelorettes. 

It was only natural that he would have to face his duties, to unite himself with one of those noble ladies, to ensure a more stable unified nation. 

Ferdinand stayed up late, many nights, convincing himself that what he was about to consent to was the noblest action. 

Despite that, any time he thought about his upcoming appointment with the Emperor, he felt sick to his stomach. 

She had not revealed much in her summons, as was befitting of an Emperor. Only the date and time that he should arrive to the council room, for an official first introduction to his betrothed. 

The nights leading up to that meeting were pure torment. 

On the nights Ferdinand was alone, he tossed and turned in his bed. Instead of rest, his mind was plagued with questions that had no answers. 

Would his betrothed be a noble lady, with various expectations of what she wanted from a husband? Or would she be the quiet type, unwilling to voice her needs and desires? How could Ferdinand possibly give her everything she required, without touching her intimately, without kissing her passionately, without truly loving her? 

Ferdinand had no more answers to those questions by the time that fateful meeting finally arrived. He only had wearly, sleep deprived eyes, and the desire to get the meeting over with as soon as possible, before it could cause him to lose one more wink of rest. 

Emperor Edelgard’s summons were short, but to the point. 

He was to arrive in their council’s usual meeting room at a designated time. He was informed that during this meeting, he would be introduced to the individual that the Emperor intended for him to marry. 

That was all. 

So Ferdinand dressed up for the occasion, but not in his finest linens. Only an appropriately formal jacket, freshly cleaned and pressed. 

And with a heavy heart, he marched himself off to the chamber of the council, to fulfill the duties that were expected of him. 

The doors were closed when he arrived. Such a simple circumstance seemed like a cruel joke, one last chance for him to change his mind. To turn back, to refuse the meeting, and whomever the Emperor had chosen for him. 

Ferdinand briefly considered it. But the moment he had, his fingers hesitating above the handle of the door, he thought of Hubert. He thought of the smile on Hubert’s face that he was trying to protect, thought of the disappointed look Hubert would give him if he mentioned refusing the Emperor’s offer. He thought of Hubert, cold and broken on the ground, destroyed at the hands of an assassin sent by a fellow noble who took it upon themselves to rid Fodlan of a sinner in a position of power. 

Ferdinand grasped the door, and nearly threw it open with most of his strength. 

He had made his decision many moons ago. There was no use in delaying the inevitable. 

The room inside was mostly empty, save for two occupants. That much Ferdinand expected, there was no need to trouble the rest of the Lords and Ladies of Enbarr with such a private matter, they would be informed as soon as the wedding ceremony was scheduled. 

First, there was the Emperor. Appropriately dressed as would befit a lady in a position of power, even in a casual setting, but without her crown. That much, Ferdinand had also expected. 

The person sitting next to her is what made his heart drop. 

Hubert. Of all people. 

He was always difficult to read, but Ferdinand could see that guard drop for just a moment when their eyes met. Hubert was not expecting these circumstances either. 

Was Emperor Edelgard planning on introducing them to their future partners at the same time? They had spaced out their requests to her, but the fact still remained that they had both been in line to be matched at the same time. Perhaps this was a matter of efficiency. 

It seemed so cruel. It stung Ferdinand deeply, and Edelgard would never know why. 

Or worse. Perhaps she did know. Perhaps she had figured out about their affair, and this was their punishment for keeping secrets from her. For their indecency. 

Ferdinand forced himself to tear his eyes away from Hubert, bowing solemnly at the Emperor. 

“Emperor Edelgard. Thank you for seeing me,” he said. 

Edelgard nodded, cool and collected as ever. 

“Of course. It was my pleasure to aid both of you in this matter. Please, take a seat,” she said. 

Edelgard had not motioned for where she expected him to sit down. His eyes grazed over the empty seat next to Hubert for a moment, so comforting, so inviting, but he quickly decided against it. He instead walked around the table, taking the empty seat on the opposite side of Edelgard. 

Once seated, stiff and sitting up as perfectly as he could, Ferdinand spoke. 

“I… had not been aware that the Minister of Imperial Affairs would be joining us. Has he also put in his bid for an engagement? If it is too difficult to arrange two marriages at the same time, especially for people in such positions of power, I would gladly wait-” 

“Ferdinand,” Edelgard interrupted. One word from her shut him up immediately, desperately trying to read into her body language and expression. 

She clearly did not seem amused by Ferdinand’s attempt at playing innocent. Without any words, her gaze screamed ‘ _ Do you really take me for such a fool?’ _ . Ferdinand felt his ears grow hot with embarrassment. 

“I’ll get to that. In my own time,” she said after, in a somewhat softer tone. “There is one thing I would like to explain, to both of you, before I share the decision I’ve come to.” 

“... of course, Emperor. My apologies,” Ferdinand said. 

Hubert was dead quiet the whole time. Face like stone, unfeeling, unreadable. A humble servant, waiting to obey whatever order his lady commanded. 

Once she knew she had the full attention of her ministers, Edelgard began to speak. 

“As you are aware, both of you have asked me to pick an appropriate marriageable candidate as your future spouse. This is a matter that Hubert has brought up with me in the past, and I have told him very time that was truly his wish, I will honor it. Not as his Emperor, but as a favor, to a dear friend,” she began. 

“When you, Ferdinand, brought up the same request, I must admit I was surprised. I had always expected you to follow your heart, to meet someone and then bring forth the candidate for my approval, instead of leaving it to the hands of the state. But you are also one of my dearest friends, and closest allies. If that is also your wish, it is my duty to grant it.” 

“As you are both aware, this is not the first marriage I have had my hand in arranging. Several nobles have asked for my assistance in the past with such a task, and each time, I have made my decisions based on several factors. I’ve studied the personality traits of each candidate, for even the most advantageous match for the state will still be a failure, if the two parties in question can’t stand one another. Territories are another factor. We still have several in Fodlan that are not as loyal or as integrated into our system of government as others, and a marriage to either the Prime Minister or Minister of Imperial Affairs would certainly aid that.” 

“However. All of these factors are secondary to what is best for the empire. I believe there is a clear choice, for both of you, that would be the most beneficial to strengthening our political system, and keeping it empowered for many generations to come,” she continued. 

She was starting to lead up to her decision. Ferdinand, pale as a sheet, focused on the wooden surface of the table. He had no idea Hubert was matching his actions, hands folded in his lap, also staring holes into the counter top before him. 

“And that is why I have decided to marry you to one another.” 

A heavy silence hung in the room for a moment, as it took some time for the information to settle on the two men there. 

Hubert was the first to snap his head up, his usually blank expression twisted with shock and confusion. 

“Lady Ed- … Emperor I-... Beg your pardon?” Hubert stammered out. 

Once Ferdinand’s racing thoughts caught up him with, he too looked up from the table, both hands now pressed against the surface of it. 

“Surely you can’t be serious!” Ferdinand exclaimed, raising the volume of his voice without meaning to. “Me? With… with von Vestra? Married? I couldn’t possibly-... besides, such a thing has never been done before! It would never be allowed-” 

“It shall be allowed, if I say it is allowed,” Edelgard responded. The cool and collected air of an Emperor was gone from her now. She was still calm, still the natural leader that Edelgard always was, but she seemed decidedly pleased with herself. “And before I explain anything else, I do wish you would drop your act. I am well aware of your connection with one another. This matter will be far easier to discuss if we can be honest about that.” 

“Emperor, you have my deepest apologies,” Hubert said, looking pained. “It was never my intention to betray your trust. If there is some form of punishment you seem fit for-” 

“Hubert,” Edelgard cut in again. The look on her face softened, as she reached out to put her hand over Hubert’s own. “I’m not angry. Far from it. I’m happy with this development. And I understand why you did not wish to inform me of it. You are forgiven,” she said. 

Her words did nothing to calm the guilt inside of him, but Hubert still nodded. 

“Thank you, Emperor Edelgard. Your kindness and generosity are far more than I deserve,” he said. 

“We can discuss that later,” Edelgard responded, giving his hand a firm squeeze before removing hers and placing it back in her lap. She then addressed them both once more. 

“As I said, my decision was not entirely based out of my fondness and friendship for you. This is still a politically driven decision, and not one that will be easy. For either of you,” she explained. 

“As you have said, such a thing has never been done before. However, it was always my goal to change the systems built into Fodlan, including the system of marriage. By declaring my support for a marriage between two members of the same sex, especially between two important members of the state, we shall break whatever unspoken law declared that such a thing cannot be done. This will pave the way for other nobles to do the same, and for commoners to follow suite. This won’t be an easy task, for either of you. You shall be met with plenty of backlash, and objections, but you shall have my full support, and the support of those who are loyal to me.” 

Ferdinand had never considered that to be a possibility. His head buzzed with infinite questions, none of which could be translated into words. So he sat in silence, staring at Edelgard, waiting for the inevitable reveal that the whole thing was some sick prank and that their true spouses would be escorted in moments later. 

“Additionally, I have found that anyone in an unhappy marriage is not as productive in their professional work. Pairing both of you with someone you are fond of will benefit the state in this manner as well,” she added. 

“... and making sure both of you are happy, for many years to come, is a very important matter. You shall both need to rely heavily on each other in the future. Once we achieve lasting peace, and our work with cleaning up the damage the war left behind is done... I intend to retire. I shall pass my crown onto a worthy successor, and it shall be both of your duties to aid my successor once I have left.” 

“... Retire?” Ferdinand asked, thrown off balance by the sudden reveal. This was the first he had heard of such a thing. It was the first time Hubert had heard it as well, given his reaction to the news. 

Hubert shot up to his feet, somehow even paler than before, eyes wide. 

“Emperor Edelgard, that is… it’s not possible!” he declared. His voice quivered ever so slightly, steadily losing more composure by the second. “You would never-... we’ve worked so hard for this. So many years to have you ascend to the throne you deserve, that only you can… I beg you to reconsider. I’ll do anything. There’s no other I could possibly serve….” 

Edelgard stood as well now, moving until she was in front of Hubert. She took both of his shaking hands in her own, looking up at him with a mix of sadness and affection. 

“... I’m sorry, Hubert. For never telling you. But this was a decision I came to many years ago. When the time comes, when the hardest of our work is done, I will be stepping down from power. Whomever I choose to lead in my absence will be worthy of your loyalty and devotion, otherwise they would not be a worthy successor. This is my goal. This is what we have been fighting for,” she explained. 

“No one should be appointed to a position of power through birth alone. That includes the highest position of all, that of the Emperor. If nobles are to be chosen based on merit, then so must the crown,” she added. Her voice softened even further then, as the topic of conversation grew to be more personal. 

“... I have no desire to have children of my own. I have already given so much of myself away. I want to keep everything that remains for myself, as selfish as that may seem. And every year that passes, I grow closer to becoming what my father was at the end of his life. A husk of a person, shoulders shaking from the weight of the crown, wasting away on the throne.” 

“Besides. I too, have someone I love. As dear to me as Ferdinand is to you. She taught me that one does not have to choose between duty, and happiness. That after you fulfill all of the promises you have made, and the burdens you’ve agreed to carry, there is no shame in pursuing your own joy. My duty is in Enbarr... but my heart is with her.” 

At this, Edelgard reached up with a hand, gently caressing Hubert’s cheek. She let it sit there for a moment, before pulling her hands away from him entirely. 

“... I am sorry, my friend. I know this must be difficult for you to hear. Better you hear it now, while there are still some years left of work to do. If you wish, we can discuss the details further the next time we meet,” she said. 

She stepped away from him, turning around to look at Ferdinand, still seated at the table. 

Without a word, she nodded in his direction. 

‘ _ Please take care of him _ ’, that look seemed to say. 

Ferdinand nodded in response, standing so he could follow that with a deep bow of respect. 

At that, without another word, Edelgard walked out of the room. She shut the door carefully behind her, informing the guard stationed outside of it that no one was to be allowed to enter while the occupants inside remained. 

The moment those doors closed, Hubert collapsed back into his seat. Hunched over, like a rag-doll. 

“Hubert!” Ferdinand called out, rushing as quickly as he could to Hubert’s side. 

Ferdinand was about to reach for Hubert’s face, but two shaking hands pushed Ferdinand’s out of the way before they could meet their destination. 

Hubert did not want Ferdinand to see his face right now. Not like this. 

Ferdinand accepted Hubert’s wishes, and gave him his space. He hovered fretfully around him instead, asking if he needed water, if he wanted the windows open, if he needed the curtains over the windows to be shut. 

Hubert answered none of these questions. When he spoke up, his voice sounded raw. 

“I had taken a vow, to serve Edelgard for the rest of my life. Above all else… that was my only purpose. My reason for existing. For drawing my next breath. The only future I ever desired for myself,” Hubert said. 

“I know, my love…. I know,” Ferdinand replied. Such simple, stupid words, that could never repair the rift that had just opened up in his beloved’s heart. But it was the only thing he could manage to offer. 

“All of that is going to be gone, some day. What will become of me, then?” 

Ferdinand pulled up an empty chair, setting it down directly next to Hubert’s. On the side where his bangs covered most of his face, to allow Hubert to keep his expression hidden. 

“... She will no longer be in power, but she will not be gone from our lives. We will be able to write letters. Visit her, perhaps. Or she will visit us in the capital.”

“It won’t be the same,” Hubert said. He let out a sound that was supposed to resemble a dry laugh. “Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is send a servant to start preparing her morning tea. I arrive in her private chambers before she sees anyone else, so we can discuss our plans for the day. She is more than my Emperor. She is a part of me. A part that will one day be torn away… and I’m not sure how much will remain after that happens.” 

Ferdinand felt hurt as well. He too had risked his life, fought battles, killed hundreds of soldiers, all so that Edelgard could claim the throne. But right away he could see that his own pain was a mere pebble compared to the suffering this decision had inflicted upon Hubert. 

Were he not so fond of Edelgard, he might have been furious with her for doing such a thing. But she was also his friend. She too, deserved happiness. Even if that meant tearing herself away from the man who worshiped the ground she walked on. 

“... You are many things, Hubert. Even if you cannot see it yourself, you have many traits that exist independently of your loyalty to her. I’ll show them to you. In time. When you’re ready to hear it,” Ferdinand said. He reached out, gently placing his hand on one of Hubert’s knees. 

“... I am so sorry. I wish I could ease your burden, to take any of that pain for myself. I’m afraid I am unsure of what to do to aide you,” he added. 

Hubert did not respond at first. He stayed motionless, statuesque. Right when Ferdinand was about to ask if he needed to be left alone, Hubert finally spoke up. 

“Just… stay with me. For a while longer,” he said, so softly Ferdinand almost couldn’t hear it. 

“Of course, Hubert. For as long as you’ll have me,” Ferdinand said. 

They stayed in that room together for another hour, at least. At one point, Hubert rested his elbows on the table, and placed his face in both of his hands. He cried, silently, tears immediately absorbed and hidden by the fabric of his gloves. 

And Ferdinand stayed seated next to him. There was blank parchment and quills on the table, so Ferdinand eventually gathered those materials, and began writing a letter. Nothing important, just a matter of business he had intended to check in on across the country. It filled the room with a bit of noise, the soothing sound of quill gliding across paper, something familiar that could help ground Hubert to the world around him. 

Hubert did eventually uncover his face. He looked horrible. All puffy, the dark spots under his eyes starker than they’d ever been, both burning red and dreadfully pale. 

Ferdinand stopped writing when he noticed Hubert move, standing up after Hubert began to rise out of his seat. 

Hubert couldn’t quite make eye contact, but he did look to Ferdinand’s face. 

“... I think it would be best for me to head back to my personal chambers. I do not wish to be seen like this,” he explained. 

Ferdinand nodded, unable to help himself, as he reached up and stroked his fingers over one of Hubert’s cheekbones. 

“I’ll make sure the guards know that you are not to be disturbed for the rest of the evening,” he said. 

“... thank you,” Hubert said, with such fragile earnestly that it almost swept Ferdinand off of his feet. Before Ferdinand could swoon, however, Hubert took hold of his hand, and kissed it. 

“Some day, I shall find a way to properly repay you. For everything you’ve done for me. For all of the things you’ve given me. I may not have much left to offer of myself… as I said, I do not know what shall remain after the Emperor leaves us. But anything that remains of me, twisted as it may be, is yours. If you’ll have it,” said Hubert. 

“Gladly,” Ferdinand replied, with no hesitation. “Nothing in this world could bring me more joy. I am yours as well. If you’ll have me.” 

Hearing that made Hubert smile weakly, after which he leaned in, kissing Ferdinand’s forehead. 

“Such a ridiculous question. As if a man who has lived in shadows his whole life could possibly refuse the sun.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THATS A CONCLUSION!!!! 
> 
> It's not the FULL end of this story, I do intend to release one final Epilogue chapter, that takes place during / right before Ferd and Hubert's wedding! :o) And that's when Dorothea will make her guest appearance, sorry for teasing it in the tags and saving it til the end niosnkdlnska 
> 
> But that's the full scope of the plot line! Thank you SO much for reading this fic!!! AND FOR YOUR PATIENCE! This is sort of an end, but not the full end! I'm going to be off for a few weeks in the near future so I'll have a LOT of downtime to potentially write more ferdibert after I finish the epilogue of this story ;] Thank you, and thank you again!!!!


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